LCFC Staff & Players Pay Final Tribute To Khun Vichai
Khun Vichai tragically lost his life alongside four other people in a helicopter crash at King Power Stadium on Saturday 27 October, 2018.
A Leicester City congregation, including senior staff and First Team players, arrived in Thailand on Wednesday before attending a private vigil in remembrance.
On Thursday, they joined Vice-Chairman Khun Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha at the Buddhist Debsirindrawas Temple.
Upon their arrival, the players offered heartfelt condolences to Khun Vichai’s family - wife Khun Aimon and children Khun Voramas, Khun Apichet, Khun Aroonroong, and Khun Top.
During Khun Vichai’s Chairmanship at King Power Stadium, his dedication to establishing Leicester City as a force in English football transformed the Club beyond all recognition.
Inspired by their Chairman’s knowledge and guidance, Leicester City wrote one of the most extraordinary fairy tales in football history by winning the Premier League title in 2016.
Khun Vichai’s immeasurable impact on the city of Leicester, meanwhile, is at the heart of a legacy which everyone at the Club is determined to protect over coming seasons.
In November of last year, The LCFC Foxes Foundation was renamed The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation in recognition of the love our Chairman felt for the people of Leicester.
Throughout his close association with the city, Khun Vichai committed over £4M in personal donations to Leicester’s universities, hospitals and charities – improving the lives of thousands of people across the Leicestershire region.
Following 100 days of mourning, the cremation, staged in Khwaeng Wat Thepsirin, Bangkok, began with Matika-Pangsukula recitations, the chanting of the Higher Teachings of the Buddha.
At King Power Stadium, staff were also joined by Buddhist monks, who watched on big screens as a ceremony which reflected Khun Vichai’s family values took place in Thailand.
Following religious recitations at the Main Royal Crematorium, His Majesty The King graciously presided over the Cremation Ceremony.
At King Power Stadium, as the cremation took place in Thailand, doves symbolising Khun Vichai’s generosity of spirit were released into the heavens from the centre circle.
As Leicester City looks to the future, it is Khun Vichai’s legacy which will act as inspiration for everyone at the Club as we strive to add to the memories we have already shared.
On Saturday, the Club’s congregation will return to England to continue their preparations for a Premier League fixture against AFC Bournemouth next weekend.