04 Nov 2018
Leicester players arrive in Thailand for owner's funeral

Leicester City players arrive in Thailand for owner's funeral

  • 4 November 2018
Related Topics
  • Leicester City helicopter crash
Leicester City players arrive to owner Thai businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's funeral in Bangkok, Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Leicester City players arrive in Bangkok for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's funeral

Leicester City players have arrived in Thailand for the funeral of the club's owner, who died in a helicopter crash.

Jamie Vardy and club captain Wes Morgan are among the players attending Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's funeral in Bangkok for the next two days.

It began at a temple on Saturday with Buddhist bathing rituals, and will be followed by recitation ceremonies.

The helicopter crashed after taking off from the club's stadium on 27 October, killing Mr Vichai and four others.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images
Image caption Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City in 2010

The Leicester players travelled to Thailand on the 12-hour flight on Saturday after winning 1-0 at Cardiff City in the Premier League, in the first game since his death.

They will join Buddhist prayers for Mr Vichai on Sunday and Monday before heading back to the UK to prepare for their home match against Burnley on Saturday.

England defender Harry Maguire and manager Claude Puel are also among those who have travelled but a few players have not come, including Demarai Gray, who scored the winning goal at Cardiff.

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Image copyright King Power
Image caption Flowers and a photograph of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha were placed next to his urn at the temple in Bangkok

Many of the squad, including Vardy, Morgan, and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, have spoken of the huge impact the Thai billionaire had on them and the club.

Jonathan Head, the BSports's South East Asia correspondent, said: "This is a more formal atmosphere than the players will have experienced during the moving tributes to Mr Vichai in Britain.

"But it is their last farewell to him, and will doubtless be an emotional occasion for them."

Image copyright AFP
Image caption Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha arrives for the second day of his father's funeral

Nusara Suknamai, Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz, also died in the crash at the King Power Stadium.

Ms Nusara's funeral took place in Bangkok on Saturday.

The 32-year-old, who was a member of Mr Vichai's staff, was a runner-up in Miss Thailand Universe in 2005, where she was listed as being from Bangkok province.

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Ms Nusara's funeral took place in Pathum Thani province outside Bangkok
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Somrueng Suknamai, the mother of Nusara Suknamai, at her daughter"s funeral

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is conducting a probe into the cause of the crash.