Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha: the man who helped Leicester City to ‘dream the impossible’ – video report | Football

Beer, pies and Buddhist prayers helped endear Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to Leicester City fans even before the team, owned by the Thai duty free billionaire, became the Premier League’s most unlikely champions.

He rose from obscurity as a printer and leather goods trader to become a polo-playing buddy of royalty and then the improbable hero of a city in England’s Midlands. 

But, after a Premier League match against West Ham, his helicopter crashed outside Leicester’s stadium. A source close to the club said Vichai was among five people on board, but investigators have yet to confirm the identity of the victims.