Thai owners ‘won’t sell stars’
Print Edition
THE owners of champion Leicester City say they will resist attempts by more glamorous rivals to lure away their title-winning players, after an unlikely triumph that has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
Duty-free magnate Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha became the first Thai owner of an English Premier League title-winning team on Monday night, when the only club capable of catching it, Tottenham Hotspur, was held to a 2-2 draw by Chelsea.
Leicester’s journey from 5,000-1 outsider to champion has prompted predictions that the team could be broken up in the offseason as bigger clubs look to poach its best players.
“We are not the team that will sell players for money,” said Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the club’s vice chairman and Vichai’s son, as quoted by Thai website Manager. “So, I can confirm that we’ll keep all major players with the team, such as Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante or Kasper Schmeichel.”
Next season, Leicester will also compete in UEFA’s lucrative Champions League.
At least one prominent fan, a Thai monk who has regularly blessed the team during its astonishing rise, believes it will have few problems taking on the giants of European soccer.
“I believe the power of Buddhism ... given through the Buddhist monk and executives has created teamwork and unity in the team,” Phra Prommangkalachan told Reuters TV. “With their clear minds, it has brought concentration, ability, and determination for them to go to the international arena. At the moment, they will be able to thrive anyway because of their strong minds and they will continue to win on the international stage.”
Vichai is a devotee of Phra, the 63-year-old assistant to the abbot of Bangkok’s Traimitr Temple, and took him to Britain to bless the stadium and the team.
Whilst the Premier League is wildly popular across Southeast Asia, Thai fans had not taken much notice of unfashionable Leicester before this season, preferring to follow established names like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
But the “Siam Foxes” support base has ballooned with the team’s success. The Leicester City Thai Facebook page had nearly 600,000 likes as of yesterday, compared with 5,000-6,000 at the start of the season.
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