"Leicester City are hurting but Aiyawatt Top Srivaddhanaprabha, looking towards the pitch at the King Power Stadium, insists he shares supporters' frustrations. He acknowledges the warm glow of their extraordinary Premier League title win almost a decade ago has long faded. He watches every game, which sometimes means tuning in from Thailand in the early hours. An 8pm kick-off in England is a 3am start in Bangkok. I want to see the real passion of the players and the performance, the chair says."
"The vision from myself and my father was so clear: we wanted success long term for the club. We did three years in the Championship and then were promoted top of the league. In almost 16 years, we have won five trophies, we've had two relegations, three times in Europe. It's like a movie. It's like a super drama on Netflix."
Leicester City sit low in the Championship and the club faces growing fan frustration amid a sharp decline since their Premier League success nearly a decade ago. Chairman Aiyawatt Top Srivaddhanaprabha follows every match closely, sometimes watching from Thailand, and describes his connection to the club as parental, with duty to identify and fix problems. The club continues to uphold the vision he shared with his late father, Vichai, whose statue stands outside the stadium. Over 16 years the club has won five trophies, endured two relegations and had three European campaigns. The team recently sacked manager Marti Cifuentes while fans fear deeper struggles.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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