Premier League
LEICESTER CITY PAY FAREWELL TRIBUTE TO TRAGIC OWNER, SRIVADDHANAPRABHA
In their dream time, when Leicester City were about miracles and wonder, and tragedy was the furthest thing from anybody’s mind, the club’s owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, stood in the directors’ box at the King Power Stadium and gazed down at the joyous scene unfolding in front of him as Claudio Ranieri led Andrea Bocelli to the centre circle.
The manager and the singer stood there for a moment, surrounded by ballboys and club staff as Ranieri tried to hush the crowd. The Premier League trophy was with the two men on the dais, ready to be presented to the team later at their coronation as champions, after they played and beat Everton that bright spring afternoon in May 2016.
They were surrounded by bouquets of flowers and smiling faces and the kind of happiness that feels as if it will never dim. And then Bocelli began to sing Nessun Dorma. None Shall Sleep. It seemed to encapsulate in a moment all the beauty football could bring. And anybody with a heart, anybody who loved football, felt the tears welling up inside them.
But tragedy will partner that success as Leicester players and staff stand with Cardiff players to mourn Srivaddhanaprabha’s passing on Saturday
Two-and-a-half-years later, two groups of men gathered around another centre circle in another city. The Cardiff City players stood on one side. On the other side were the Leicester team, their substitutes and most of their backroom staff, their arms linked, their heads bowed. Everybody was included.
There were flowers again but this time it was a wreath. And this time, there was no singing. Just a minute of silence. A picture of Vichai appeared on the big screens at either end of the Cardiff City Stadium. ‘A great son of Thailand, may you rest in peace,’ a message read beneath his image. On the hoardings around the ground, another message flashed up. ‘Together with Leicester,’ it said.
Kasper Schmeichel (second left) struggled to hold back the tears during the minute’s silence
In the midst of the silence, Kasper Schmeichel, the Leicester goalkeeper, who was one of the first on the scene of the crash that killed Vichai, two of his assistants and two pilots at the King Power Stadium last Saturday night, wept openly. And anybody with a heart, anybody who loved football, felt the tears welling up inside them.
Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho (4th from left) and Wilfred Ndidi (9th from left) joined teammates in paying tributes
Tragedy is a part of Leicester’s history, too, now. Tragedy will always be the partner of the miracle of that Premier League title triumph of 2015-16. That was one of the greatest sports stories ever told but when the man who made it all possible died in the wreckage of his helicopter soon after the 1-1 draw with West Ham last weekend, all that joy was joined with pain. Leicester’s home Carabao Cup tie with Southampton last Tuesday was postponed in the aftermath of the crash and so this foray into Wales was the first time the club had played since. It was the first time they had tested their readiness to deal with their grief as their players tried to do their jobs and play the game Vichai loved so much.
This is a stadium that usually provides a hostile reception for visitors but this time was different. When the Leicester players ran out for the warm-up, wearing white T-shirts with a picture of Vichai on the front and the words ‘The Boss’, they were warmly applauded by the Cardiff supporters. On the back of the shirts, there was another tribute. ‘Khun Vichai. You Will Be Forever In Our Hearts,’ it read.
Foxes fans pass a huge banner which displayed the words ‘RIP Vichai’ around the ground
And when the teams emerged from the tunnel before kick-off, a giant banner featuring the Thai flag, the badges of Leicester and Cardiff, and the words ‘RIP Vichai’ was passed above the heads of Cardiff fans towards to the Leicester supporters behind the goal. Another travelled from the Leicester end towards it until they met.
The Leicester squad show a united front wearing the special tribute shirts before the game
No one quite knew what to expect from the game. No one really knew whether they were coming to watch a match or just show solidarity. The images of the Leicester players in distress last week asked obvious questions about whether they were psychologically ready to play. The message from them and their manager, Claude Puel, was they wanted to compete to honour their owner.
Cardiff were unsure how to approach it, too. Neil Warnock had wondered if maybe his players would feel guilty about trying to beat men who were still in the midst of suffering.
The unavoidable way of looking at this game was that it was 90 minutes of grief interrupted. After the match, the Leicester squad travelled to Cardiff airport to catch a plane to Bangkok so they could attend Vichai’s funeral, which began on Saturday.
Before it, as Schmeichel and the rest of the Leicester players sought comfort in the solidarity of team-mates, it was obvious that they were still in mourning.
How does a team deal with something like this? Try to push all thoughts of the tragedy away? Use the idea of honouring Vichai as motivation? Or forget about football, damn the result, get it over with and get out of there? In the end, Leicester used a mixture of all three. Those who thought they might crumble, though, were proved utterly wrong.
As BBC Radio Leicester presenters sat in the press box wearing their own T-shirts commemorating Vichai, the players refused to allow the tragedy that has befallen their club to overcome them. In the gloom of a south Wales evening, the white shirts of their fans, all bearing the same image of Vichai, shone out from behind the goal like a beacon.
The result was not important but the spirit that Leicester showed in achieving it was. They certainly fulfilled their promise to honour Vichai with the way they played.
The records will show that Leicester won 1-0 with a second-half goal from Demarai Gray. The reports will tell you that he whipped off his shirt to reveal the legend: ‘For Khun Vichai.’
And they will also tell you, sadly, that referee Lee Probert felt obliged to obey the rules and show Gray a yellow card.
And when the final whistle blew, the Leicester fans sang: ‘There’s only one Vichai.’ And the players gathered around Schmeichel and hugged each other as if maybe they had achieved the first step in some kind of catharsis.
Then the players and Puel and other members of Leicester’s staff walked slowly over to the fans and stood in front of them in a long line. The players applauded the fans and the fans applauded the players. It stayed like that for 10 or 15 minutes, as if no one wanted to say goodbye.
‘Champions of England,’ the fans roared, referencing Vichai’s greatest gift to them. ‘Champions of England, you made us sing that.’ And still the players stayed. Still they gazed up at the supporters as if they were taking strength from them and their loyalty.
Finally, another flag appeared and the players gathered around as their fans sang ‘There’s only Vichai.’ It was a picture of their owner with the Premier League trophy. ‘Thank You, Vichai,’ the message next to it said.
In the tunnel, Schmeichel stopped to talk. He was clearly fighting hard to hold himself together. ‘You come across in your life very few people that hit you and really impact you and he had a really big impact on my life,’ Schmeichel said. ‘He’s a man we’re immensely proud to have known.
‘We are thinking about his family. We are all really hurting but I can’t imagine what they are going through. We wanted to do it for him and his family tonight. We hope that we did his family proud.’ And anybody with a heart, anybody who loved football, felt the tears welling up inside them.
– Daily Mail
Premier League
Arsenal Paint London Red with Premier League Victory Parade Despite Champions League Heartbreak
Thousands of jubilant Arsenal supporters flooded the streets of north London on Sunday as the club celebrated its first Premier League title in 22 years, putting aside the disappointment of losing the UEFA Champions League final just 24 hours earlier.
The celebrations came less than a day after Arsenal suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest. Yet the setback did little to dampen the spirits of the club’s faithful, who turned out in huge numbers to honour a historic domestic triumph.
Players and coaching staff paraded through north London aboard an open-top bus, proudly displaying the Premier League trophy that Arsenal had finally reclaimed for the first time since Arsène Wenger’s legendary “Invincibles” side lifted it in the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal had wrapped up the title before the final round of fixtures after establishing an unassailable lead over defending champions Manchester City, who eventually finished seven points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s side.
The league crown marked Arsenal’s first major trophy since Arteta guided the club to FA Cup success in 2020 during his debut season as manager. It also ended years of frustration after the Gunners had finished runners-up in the Premier League in each of the previous three seasons.
Red flares, fireworks and the sound of vuvuzelas filled the air as supporters celebrated a long-awaited return to the summit of English football.
“We’re not European champions, but we are champions of England, and that’s what matters right now,” said Arsenal supporter Julien Guillenenat. “We’re happy to celebrate with everyone.”
Another fan, 44-year-old Mathieu Garnier, believes the Premier League triumph has finally removed the psychological burden that had weighed heavily on the team.
“Three years in a row we finished second, and now that pressure is gone,” he said. “These players are going to be flying next season. I really believe that.”
Adding to the festivities was Arsenal’s women’s team, who joined the celebrations after their successful FIFA Champions Cup campaign this season.
Midfielder Declan Rice, signed from West Ham United in 2023 for a club-record £105 million, said the title triumph had silenced many of the club’s critics.
“People were pointing and laughing at us before,” Rice told Sky Sports. “What happened? They’re not laughing anymore. I love this team, I love this manager, and to see the joy we’ve brought to the fans is incredible.
“Next season we’re coming back for more.”
Despite the pain of falling short in Europe, many Arsenal supporters remain optimistic that the club will soon challenge again for continental glory.
Twenty-two-year-old fan Theo Grant believes the Champions League disappointment will only strengthen the squad’s resolve.
“Honestly, this loss will give the players even more motivation,” he said. “We’ll be back. I believe we’ll reach the final again next season.”
For Arsenal supporters, however, Sunday was not about what might have been in Europe. It was about celebrating the end of a 22-year wait to be crowned champions of England once again.
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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday and still face the risk of relegation from the Premier League in their final game of the season this weekend after goals either side of halftime from the home side’s Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos.
Fernandez let rip with a dipping shot from over 25 metres that Antonin Kinsky could not get close to in the 18th minute, electrifying the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge as the home fans revelled in the misery of their North London rivals.
The Argentina midfielder turned provider for Chelsea’s second goal in the 67th, cushioning a high ball into the feet of Santos, who scored from close range.
Richarlison got one back for Spurs in the 74th minute, but the defeat means Tottenham remain two points above West Ham United, who currently occupy the last relegation spot.
However, Spurs have a much better goal difference, meaning a draw at home to Everton on Sunday would all but guarantee their Premier League survival.
Chelsea, fresh from announcing former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso as their next manager after a limp 2025/26 campaign, climbed to eighth place, which offers a berth in the UEFA Conference League next season
The Blues, who lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, are one point behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently occupy the last of the Europa League spots.
Spurs had only themselves to blame for Tuesday’s defeat.
After Mathys Tel hit the post with a header in the 11th minute, they allowed Chelsea to dominate until Richarlison’s goal raised their hopes of rescuing the point they needed.
Substitute James Maddison looked sure to equalise in the 84th, but Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato stretched out a leg to block his angled shot.
The win was Chelsea’s first in the Premier League since March 4, giving their fans something to celebrate after a miserable run that included six consecutive league defeats.
It also means Spurs have only won once at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
-Reuters
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Arsenal F.C. have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City F.C. were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth, ending the most dramatic title race of recent seasons and completing a remarkable transformation under manager Mikel Arteta.
The title triumph marks Arsenal’s first league championship since the legendary “Invincibles” side led by Arsène Wenger went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 campaign.
For Arteta, it represents the crowning moment of a rebuilding project that began when he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019. The Spaniard inherited a struggling Arsenal side but gradually rebuilt the club into genuine title contenders, guiding them to second-place finishes in each of the previous three seasons before finally ending Manchester City’s dominance.
Arsenal appeared in danger of suffering another late collapse after surrendering a nine-point lead earlier in the campaign, particularly following City’s crucial victory over them at the Etihad Stadium in April.
However, the momentum shifted again when City stumbled with a draw against Everton, allowing Arsenal to seize control of the race.
The North London club responded impressively, winning four consecutive matches without conceding a goal, including Monday’s tense 1-0 victory over Burnley F.C. that piled pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side heading into their trip to Bournemouth.
City’s failure to secure victory finally confirmed Arsenal as champions, triggering emotional celebrations among supporters gathered around the Emirates Stadium.
Fans watching the decisive match in nearby pubs poured onto the streets at the final whistle, while thousands more marched toward the Emirates within minutes of the title being secured.
Arteta had admitted before the match that he expected it to be difficult watching City’s game because of the enormous stakes involved, but the Spaniard ultimately witnessed the completion of one of the most significant managerial achievements in modern Arsenal history.
The Gunners will officially receive the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Crystal Palace F.C. at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arsenal’s triumph could yet become part of an even greater achievement.
The club now have the opportunity to complete a historic double when they face Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30.
Only five English clubs have previously managed to win both the league title and the European Cup in the same season, with Manchester City the last side to achieve the feat in 2023.
The title success also signals a changing of the guard in English football.
With Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City after a decade in charge, Arteta — once his assistant at City — is poised to become the longest-serving manager across England’s top four divisions, underlining how dramatically his status has risen since arriving at Arsenal less than seven years ago.
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