Leicester City unveil Vichai statue in ceremony at King Power Stadium

Leicester City have unveiled the statue of late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a ceremony outside the King Power Stadium.

On what would have been Srivaddhanaprabha’s 64th birthday, City welcomed his family, including current club chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanapraba, for the inauguration of the statue, built in tribute following the helicopter crash in 2018 that claimed his life and those of four others: staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz.

City boss Brendan Rodgers and the current first-team squad were present for the unveiling ceremony, which was led by Buddhist monks who had travelled from Thailand. Former managers Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare, and Nigel Pearson also attended, along with representatives from Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire & Rescue and East Midlands Ambulance Service, recognising their roles in the response to the accident.

Top made a commitment to honour his father’s legacy with a statute and the club first proposed plans in 2020. A new application with an altered design was submitted to Leicester City Council earlier this year, the club quickly got to work after they were given the green light.

Situated at the north-west corner of the ground, it stands at 5.2m, comprising a 2.5m blue marble plinth, with the statue itself at 2.7m. At the base, there is an inscription that reads “Always in our hearts”, while the VS symbol used by the foundation that's in the chairman’s name is engraved onto the marble, along with the words ‘The Boss’, as was his nickname to the players at the club.

Chief executive Susan Whelan said: “Khun Vichai loved this city. He greatly appreciated the affection shown by the people of