Burnley hold Leicester on day of tributes to late owner

November 12, 2018 00:00:00

Burnley's striker Chris Wood (L) vying for the ball with Leicester City's defender Jonny Evans during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Burnley at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Saturday — AFP

LEICESTER, United Kingdom, Nov 11 (AFP): Leicester City rode a wave of emotion on Saturday but were unable to break the deadlock against Burnley in their first home match since owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium.

A special tribute video was shown on big screens before kick-off, two weeks after his aircraft plummeted to the ground and burst into flames just moments after taking off from the pitch.

With football kits from many different clubs ringing the perimeter of the pitch, a huge banner was unfurled reading: "Khun Vichai, Forever in our Hearts" as former Leicester managers including Premier League-winning Claudio Ranieri looked on.

Vichai's son Aiyawatt, the club's vice-chairman who is known as Top, carried out one of a series of floral tributes.

Then the entire stadium fell silent for two minutes to remember Vichai and the four others killed in the crash as well as servicemen and women who have died in battle on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Fans turned the stands into a sea of white during the silence, holding aloft special scarves dedicated to their former owner, who made their impossible Premier League dream a reality just two years ago.

The first half of the match itself was relatively uneventful but the atmosphere built as the second half wore on, with fans desperate to honour Vichai with a victory.

Leicester produced wave upon wave of attacks but few clear-cut chances and had to settle for a 0-0 draw on a day when the result was secondary. Earlier, supporters braved the pouring rain as they made their way through the streets towards the ground holding Leicester flags and wearing club shirts, some with "Vichai" on the back.

There was a subdued atmosphere but pockets of chanting, including "We love you Leicester, we do", "I'm Leicester till I die" and simply "Vichai".

Under Vichai's ownership, Leicester produced one of the biggest upsets in English football history by winning the 2015/16 Premier League, having started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title.