He made a such a big contribution to football – Prince William pays tribute to Srivaddhanaprabha

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, has paid tribute to the huge contribution Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha made to football following his death on Saturday.

On Sunday, Srivaddhanaprabha was named as one of five people to have died in a helicopter crash outside the Foxes’ King Power Stadium following their 1-1 Premier League draw with West Ham.

After taking over the club in 2010, Srivaddhanaprabha turned Leicester from a Championship club into champions of England in six years.

Their title triumph in 2015-16 “captured the imagination of the world” according to Prince William, himself an avid football fan and president of the Football Association.

“My thoughts today are with the family and friends of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and all the victims of the terrible crash at Leicester City Football Club,” he said in a statement released by Kensington Palace.

“I was lucky to have known Vichai for several years. He was a businessman of strong values who was dedicated to his family and who supported a number of important charitable causes. He made such a big contribution to football, not at least through Leicester City’s magical 2016 season that captured the imagination of the world.

“He will be missed by all fans of the sport and everyone lucky enough to have known him.”

A statement from The Duke of Cambridge on the tragic helicopter crash at Leicester City Football Club pic.twitter.com/UVQvzpUxBv

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 29, 2018

British prime minister Theresa May added her condolences, saying: “My thoughts are with those family, friends and supporters connected to the tragic crash outside Leicester City’s stadium on Saturday night.

“The outpouring of grief is a testament to how many people’s lives were touched by those on board.”