By Simon Hart
In a city gripped by grief, Leicester City manager Claude Puel stopped and remembered a smile yesterday. “He was happy, with a smile,” he said, recalling his final conversation with Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in the manager’s office at the King Power stadium prior to last Saturday’s fixture against West Ham United and just hours before the helicopter crash outside the ground which claimed the life of the Leicester owner and four other people.
Terrible silence
Puel was in that same office with friends and family on Saturday evening when Mike Stowell, Leicester’s goalkeeper coach, came in and broke the terrible news. “We remained for a lot of time together, without being able to say a word,” he recalled. “It was silence.” Puel’s simple, initial feeling was: “It’s not possible”.
Five days on, Puel sat in the press conference room at the King Power Stadium and gave an insight into a club in mourning – yet a club impressively united and determined to carry on the work of the Thai billionaire who financed a football fairy tale.
He changed the life of a lot of people. He invested in the city and the club and the people. He was close to the people all the time. When we see all these flowers, it’s fantastic. It’s like a family
Claude Puel
“He changed the life of a lot of people,” said the Frenchman. “He invested in the city and the club and the people. He was close to the people all the time. When we see all these flowers, it’s fantastic. It’s like a family [and] we have a lot of responsibility now to give our best and to continue his work and his dream.”
Carpet of flowers
Family is a word often misappropriated by the sports marketers but at Leicester it comes charged with the deepest meaning. At midday yesterday there was a 20-minute wait to sign a book of remembrance in a marquee outside the ground. Claudio Ranieri, the club’s 2015-16 title-winning manager, came with his wife, Rosanna, to pay his respects in front of the carpet of flowers, shirts and scarves now spanning almost the entire length of the Family Stand in tribute to Khun Vichai. Later, Danny Drinkwater, one of the departed title winners, could be seen signing a book of condolence in reception. Nigel Pearson, his predecessor, had visited the day before.
I would like to thank them [Khun Vichai’s son Aiyawattand wife Aimon] because they shared their sorrow with us like a family. We went to see the place of the helicopter [crash outside the stadium], we put flowers on the pitch. We shared this feeling.
Claude Puel
On Monday it had been the players’ turn as they stood watching Khun Vichai’s son Aiyawatt, or Top as he is known, and wife Aimon lay their own wreath.
“I would like to thank them because they shared their sorrow with us like a family,” Puel said. “His wife and son came and shared their first moment to honour Vichai with us in the stadium. We went to see the place of the helicopter [crash outside the stadium], we put flowers on the pitch. We shared this feeling.”
Calm dignity
Puel spoke with calm and dignity about his squad’s response during “one of the hardest weeks in the history of this football club”. “The first day was just to share all our sorrow,” he said of the Monday morning meeting at Leicester’s Belvoir Road training ground. It included “the staff, the players, all the people working at the club” and Puel, physio Dave Rennie and Kasper Schmeichel, the second-longest-serving player, all spoke.
“They were the first words from Kasper – we have this responsibility to continue the way and to perform for him and I think all the players are ready to compete,” said Puel. Schmeichel had been the only player still at the stadium on Saturday evening and saw the blazing wreckage from a distance. “He lives this situation,” Puel added of the Dane. “He saw a lot of things.”
Yet on Tuesday, the Leicester players were united in their wish to get back to work. Puel “gave the opportunity to the players to show if they want to train” and, he noted, “it was a fantastic feeling to see all my players on the pitch”. There was the same unanimity regarding the decision to play Saturday’s fixture at Cardiff City.
The result isn’t important but our desire, our action, our hope to give our best on the pitch to honour our chairman is the most important thing
Claude Puel on Saturday’s game against Cardiff
“The players, the staff, the club, also Top [made] the decision to play this game against Cardiff,” he said. “The result isn’t important but our desire, our action, our hope to give our best on the pitch to honour our chairman is the most important thing.”
The Leicester players are also keen to undertake the 6,000-mile journey to Bangkok for the funeral ceremonies for Khun Vichai, which begin on Saturday and conclude next Friday. The club’s confirmation yesterday that the Carabao Cup fourth-round home tie against Southampton will not be played until 27 November means they will have a clear week leading up to Burnley’s visit on 10 November.
Funeral
“I want to give the opportunity for players and staff to go to the funeral,” said Puel. “We will see the logistics. I don’t know about that for the moment but, of course, all the players want to go and support his family.”
That word family again. It is not often you hear about a billionaire who always “wanted to please” but that was the man Puel remembered yesterday as he gave details of the kindnesses that Khun Vishai lavished on his employees. “For him, the players were his children, his family – sometimes he wasn’t happy about their game but all the time he would forgive them,” said Puel whose words indicated he has gained a deeper sense this week of the togetherness that drove Leicester’s title triumph.
Lasting memory
“He gave rewards because he wanted people to be happy around him all the time. He invited me often to Ascot and to private polo matches. I met Prince William and Prince Harry. He shared all these things with people and staff and players. I took his boat at Antibes. He loaned it to me for three days with my family. All the time he wanted to please people around him. This is the image I want to keep of him.” That, and a smile.
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