Football’s crazy rich Asians
HE WAS the most successful Asian owner of a top notched professional football club in England. To Filipinos, however, and even to a majority of the Filipino football community he was still an unknown.... until tragedy struck on Oct. 27 at the King Power Stadium in Leicester City, England.
Thai owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 60 , died with two of his staff and the pilot and his friend when the helicopter they were in took off and crashed into the car park long after a regular home game of the English Premiere League (EPL).
The profound grief and shock that engulfed the premiere league team, the entire City of Leicester and this great footballing nation were beyond one’s imagination. Tens of thousands of home fans visited King Power Stadium in the ensuing days to pay their respects, the city went into mourning, British royalty and football greats from Europe to Asia to the Americas and Africa expressed their deepest, heartfelt sorrows.
Vichai was a Thai billionaire of Chinese descent and ranked third richest in the Kingdom with a net worth of $4.9 billion. He was the owner and chairman of King Power Duty Free in Thailand who had meticulously built his fortune and empire through this retail business.
His other business interests include Accor’s Pullman Hotels in Thailand and Thai Air Asia.
Like in most Asians (Filipinos excluded sigh), the love for football was eminent in Vichai. With his vast wealth and the passion for football, he paid 39 million English pounds for Leicester City Football Club in 2010. It was rumored that he was greatly influenced by former Thai Prime Minister Takshin Shinawatra who as at one time, owner of the top club, Manchester City.
Leicester rapidly gained promotion to the Premiere League in 2014 from the Championship Division and in 2016, against a 5,000 to 1 odds, won the English Premiere League. They did this in grand fashion, brushing aside the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool among others in a fairy tale league run.
One does not have to guess how this great achievement sealed the close ties between Vichai and Leicester City. As a true philanthropist, he donated to charities in bothThailand and in Leicester. Vichai was bestowed an honorary Doctors of Laws from the University of Leicester in 2016.
The entire Leicester team and club officials traveled to Bangkok to pay their last respects and attend the funeral of Vichai, the boss, straight from a highly emotional EPL match against Cardiff, which they won 1-0.
My admiration for this individual, now gone, led me to discover that there are at least half a dozen more crazy rich Asians who are present owners of football clubs in Europe. (To be continued)