Six Years On: Remembering 27 October, 2018
Khun Vichai, pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz, and staff members Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare were victims of a tragic helicopter accident following our Premier League fixture against West Ham United on this day six years ago.
Khun Vichai’s chairmanship inspired a remarkable chapter in the Club’s history. Under his leadership, the Foxes achieved astonishing success, including a fairy-tale Premier League title win in 2016 and a magical UEFA Champions League campaign a year later. The Club has gone on to achieve further success under the leadership of his son, Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha – notably lifting the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield in 2021 and embarking on two further European campaigns.
On Sunday, members of the Foxes’ senior leadership group, led by CEO Susan Whelan, were in attendance for a dignified remembrance service in the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden, a space that serves as a lasting tribute to our former patriarch and all those who passed away on that October evening in 2018. While Steve Cooper and Amandine Miquel - managers of our men’s and women’s teams respectively – represented more recent additions to the Foxes family, Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira, Hamza Choudhury and Danny Ward were among those whose association with the Club stretches back to Khun Vichai’s chairmanship.
As has become tradition over recent years, the ceremony embraced Khun Vichai’s Buddhist faith, featuring sacred chanting by monks, filling the air with a sense of peace and reflection.
As Leicester City continues to move forward, the Club remains steadfast in its commitment to honour Khun Vichai’s legacy and to remember Eric, Izabela, Nusara and Kaveporn for generations to come. They are always in our hearts.
Supporters wishing to visit the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden today (Sunday) or any day are reminded that it is open to all in daylight hours. The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Statue can also be accessed at all hours in the north-west corner of the King Power Stadium site.