‘We will be back’ says Leicester chairman following relegation
Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has dismissed calls from some supporters to sell the relegated club and promised the Foxes will soon return to the Premier League. Despite beating West Ham 2-1 on Sunday, Leicester dropped into the Sky Bet Championship seven years after being crowned champions of England and two seasons since winning the FA Cup. It is a remarkable fall from grace and one that Leicester chairman Srivaddhanaprabha says has led to him receiving offensive messages, some of which have been “outright abusive”. “I have received a massive number of messages from our fans – both positive and negative,” Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement published on the Leicester website. “Some want me to sell the club, some using offensive and thoughtless words, and some have been outright abusive. “But for every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity – both remotely and from people I have met anonymously in public, who always come to say hello to me and to my family. It means a lot to us.” Srivaddhanaprabha’s father Vichai and his family bought the club in 2010 and took Leicester into the Premier League four years later. Leicester produced possibly English football’s greatest underdog story by winning the title in 2016. Club chairman Khun Vichai was killed in a helicopter accident at Leicester’s King Power Stadium in October 2018. For every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha “It was the most painful experience for me and for my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger,” Srivaddhanaprabha said of the accident. “I made a commitment, as chairman, to continuing to pursue the ambition my father and I shared for the club, to ensure that the realisation of his vision for Leicester City would ultimately become his legacy. “We want to thank you and let you know that we still have the same ambition for Leicester City that we had 13 years ago. “The incredible support we had in our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we have received from our fans and the constructive comments we must take on-board – we will gather all this support and use it to power our recovery. “Power to justify our fans’ belief in their club. Power to take us back to the Premier League. “Next season is going to be tough, but it will be a year for collaboration and unity. We will come together and fight to return to the Premier League.” Leicester finished fifth twice as well as eighth during manager Brendan Rodgers’ three full seasons in charge. But Srivaddhanaprabha acknowledged the impact of Covid had a serious effect on the club’s finances, with summer cutbacks meaning that Rodgers was unable to significantly strengthen his squad. The departures of long-serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to Nice and defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea also had a detrimental effect on the squad. Rodgers left at the end of April with Leicester in the bottom three, and his replacement Dean Smith was unable to prevent relegation after taking charge for the final eight games. Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Relegation is a consequence of 38 games and over that period, we haven’t been good enough. “Over the coming days and weeks, we need to reflect on the processes and decisions that have brought us to this point. “What we learn from this experience must convert into action that makes us stronger and prevents this happening to us again in the future. “We took Leicester City into the UEFA Champions League, giving our supporters those amazing Wednesday nights, under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid. “We used the fruits of that success to keep reinvesting in the club, strengthening our squad, improving the experience for our fans and starting plans for major projects like Seagrave and a stadium expansion that would give us long-term strength and growth. “Of course, these milestones place our situation today into quite stark context, but I reference them to highlight the progress we have made as a club in the last 13 years, which gives me confidence that we will build again. “Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us. Today we share the loss and the pain together. But we will be back. “This responsibility that I continue to live is one of the greatest responsibilities in my life and I will continue to put everything into it – my passion, that of my family and the entire King Power community.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Roberto De Zerbi says Brighton must build stronger squad for European challenge James McArthur hails Roy Hodgson’s impact at Crystal Palace Coaching trio follow Gregor Townsend’s lead and extend Scotland deals until 2026
2023-05-29 21:51
Britain's second-largest city effectively declares itself bankrupt amid $950 million equal pay claims
Britain's second-biggest city effectively declared itself bankrupt on Tuesday, shutting down all nonessential spending after being issued with equal pay claims totaling up to £760 million ($956 million).
2023-09-06 01:59
Australian grocer Coles' full-year profit rises but marginally misses estimates
(Reuters) -Australia's Coles Group on Tuesday posted an 4.8% rise in its full-year profit, mainly helped by an increase in
2023-08-22 06:57
Did Kevin Costner's wife move out of his home? Christine Baumgartner was told to vacate $145M mansion by end of July
Christine Baumgartner relocated to a temporary home on July 28 and is 'still looking for another house'
2023-07-30 05:28
Uttar Pradesh: Row over claims of heatwave deaths in India state
Almost 70 deaths were reported in four days from just one district in Uttar Pradesh state.
2023-06-19 19:52
Adin Ross: Who is Pami Baby? Why is Kick streamer upset with Larray and wants to 'throw up'?
Adin Ross lashed out and told Larray and Pami Baby to 'find God' after watching a video of the latter
2023-06-02 14:48
Chinese refugee challenges Australian law that imposes a curfew and tracking bracelet
New laws rushed through Australia’s Parliament last week to mandate curfews and electronic tracking bracelets on some foreigners with criminal records are facing their first High Court challenge
2023-11-23 18:46
UN: North Korea is increasing repression as people are reportedly starving in parts of the country
The U.N. rights chief says North Korea is increasing its repression of human rights and people are becoming more desperate and reportedly starving in parts of the country as the economic situation worsens
2023-08-18 05:57
Why did Melanie Lynskey's husband Jason Ritter re-propose to her? ‘Yellowjackets’ star reveals reason behind unusual practice
Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter announced their engagement in 2017 and tied the knot in 2020 in a small, private ceremony in Atlanta
2023-07-19 06:15
Mariners take AL West lead from Texas, beat Royals 3-2 behind Castillo's 7 shutout innings
SEATTLE (AP) —
2023-08-28 08:18
MLB rumors: Fire sale coming, Mets spend again, Rangers' bad deal, more
The latest MLB rumors include an inevitable fire sale for the White Sox, the Mets trying to spend their way out of trouble and concern over Aroldis Chapman.MLB rumors: White Sox fire sale comingThe White Sox are kidding themselves if they think they won't be selling at the MLB trade deadlin...
2023-07-09 03:15
Yankees fans rejoice as NY fires hitting coach: Best tweets and memes
Yankees fans were pumped to find out Dillon Lawson, New York's underperforming hitting coach, was fired on Sunday after a miserable first half of hitting.The Yankees have underperformed at the plate all season. Now a scapegoat has been found.On Sunday, New York fell to the Cubs to finis...
2023-07-10 06:47
You Might Like...
Atlanta Falcons' new guard dog is no competition for Georgia's lovable pooch Uga XI
India's retail inflation eases to 6.83% in August on lower food prices
129-second video of dropped passes vs Vikings is pure torture for Packers fans and Jordan Love haters
NETGEAR Brings WiFi 7 to Its Flagship Orbi Family, Unleashing Elite Connectivity
Draymond Green Believes He's 'Easily' Worth a $100 Million Contract
7 of the Most Valuable Polly Pocket Toys From the ‘90s and Beyond
Russia general who reportedly served as the top commander for Ukraine last year has died
Firm regrets taking Facebook moderation work
