Thai billionaire Vichai, 60, was one of five people killed in Saturday’s crash, and is credited with leading Leicester’s meteoric rise from English football’s second tier when he took over in 2010 to champions for the first time.

“Struggling to find the right words,” Vardy posted on Instagram alongside a picture of him and Vichai smiling.

“But to me you are legend, an incredible man who had the biggest heart, the soul of Leicester City Football Club.

“Thank you for everything you did for me, my family and our club. I will truly miss you…. may you rest in peace… #theboss.”

Vardy, plucked from the obscurity of non-league side Fleetwood Town in 2012, represented the shrewd investment that characterised Vichai’s ownership.

Another impressive signing Harry Maguire, bought from second-division Hull less than a year before starring for England at this summer’s World Cup, thanked Vichai for his support during his time in Russia with the Three Lions.

“Words can’t describe how I feel. A truly great, kind, loving man who will be missed so much by everyone,” Maguire wrote on Twitter.

“I will never forget the Chairman’s support, not only during my time @LCFC but also during the World Cup.”

‘Sad and tragic time’

Vichai had attended Leicester’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday and departed as was common in his helicopter from the centre-circle of the club’s King Power stadium pitch.

However, the aircraft soon encountered difficulties and crashed into a car park outside the ground, with a huge fireball seen to engulf the wreckage.

“We would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha at this sad and tragic time,” said West Ham in a statement.

“His immense contribution to Leicester City FC, the city of Leicester and English football will never be forgotten. Our condolences also go to the other families affected by the tragedy.

“We would also like to express our admiration for the emergency services who responded so swiftly and with such bravery, and offer our support to anyone, including any West Ham United supporters, who may have witnessed the tragedy.”

Manchester United, a club touched by an air-accident tragedy when eight players and three club staff were killed among 23 victims in a plane crash in Munich 60 years ago, expressed their sorrow at Vichai’s passing.

“Everyone at #MUFC is deeply saddened to learn that the Leicester City chairman and four fellow passengers have lost their lives following last night’s tragic incident,” the 20-time English champions said via Twitter.

“Our deepest condolences are with their families, friends and those connected to the club.”

Tributes also poured in from around the world of football.

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid expressed their condolences just hours after Barca beat their rivals 5-1 in El Clasico.

“The club wants to show their condolences to his family, his friends and all the Leicester fans,” said European champions Madrid in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with the whole @lcfc family. Rest in peace,” Barca posted on Twitter.

Among the sea of tributes to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha — the funder behind the club’s epic 2016 Premier League victory — was also an image of Ganesh, a Hindu god often seen at Thai Buddhist temples.

As emergency vehicles passed back and forth from the scene of the crash, a steady stream of people came to express their gratitude: a man on crutches, a father consoling his teenage son, a woman carrying a bouquet of blue and white flowers — the colours of the football club.

“He’s put Leicester on the map. He’s made us big, we’re not just a little club anymore,” said one supporter, 55-year-old Cathy Dann, speaking before Srivaddhanaprabha’s death was confirmed.

John Welford, 68, said: “What a fantastic man! I’ve been a supporter 60 years and personally I think he’s the best ever owner we’ve ever had”.

Fans streamed to the stadium to express their gratitude long before official confirmation that the 60-year-old businessman, who frequently flies to and from Leicester’s home games by helicopter, was aboard the aircraft.

Four other people on the helicopter, including two members of Vichai’s staff, were also killed in the crash.

Residents remembered a determined and charismatic figure who was the driving force behind a footballing feat when the club rose through the ranks to win the top spot two years ago.

Many also remembered the owner’s generosity to fans — free breakfasts at away matches and free beers on his birthday — as well as to the city, including a donation to the local hospital.

“They’re sort of around like supporters, they’re like us. They believe in what the club is and they’ve bought into that,” said Mahendra Mistri, 59.

– ‘He made us champions’ –

Kanti Patel, one of the first supporters to come to pay tribute in the early hours of Sunday, told AFP: “It means a lot to me, he did a lot for the club.

“I can’t get over it. Since him being with the club the club has done well, and I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

Another fan, Tom Lievers, arrived with a “Champions” scarf to pay tribute to Vichai.

“Well you know where we were when he bought the club — we were absolutely nowhere. So I brought down my ‘Champions’ scarf because he made us champions.”

Andrew Aldwinckle said: “He was more like he was a supporter, a proper supporter, rather than a money man. He was one of the crowd. As far as we’re concerned, that’s it.”

Steve Walton, who wore the club’s blue hat, said: “I think there’s a lot of Leicester fans around the world — not just in Leicester, but around the world — who I think will be devastated and he meant a lot to the fans.”

Vichai also brought Thailand greater recognition in the international sporting world, developing the Southeast Asian country’s football scene.

At a football game in central Bangkok, Leicester City fan Apichart Jitratkavee said he was an important person who “raised the bar of Thai football further.

“There were projects by Leicester City to select Thai teenagers to train in the club’s academy. They will have a chance to serve the nation in the future.”

Another fan, Nathavut Sirimontaporn, said Vichai had brought “benefits” to Thai football. “I think having him as an owner of the Leicester City made people know Thailand more,” he said.

A stream of fans already fearing the worst had laid out flowers, football scarves and Buddhist prayers outside the grounds after Saturday’s accident in tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha — the man they credit for an against-all-odds Premiership victory in 2016.

“The world has lost a great man,” the club said in a statement.

“Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of a vision for the club that is now his legacy,” it said.

A book of condolence will be opened at the stadium from Tuesday and the team postponed its fixture against Southampton.

“Everyone at the Club has been truly touched by the remarkable response of the football family, whose thoughtful messages of support and solidarity have been deeply appreciated at this difficult time,” the statement said.

Police named the four other victims as Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, two members of Vichai’s staff, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.

Vichai, 60, the owner of Thailand’s King Power duty free empire, was a regular at matches who used to fly to and from home games.

He and the four other victims, who have not been named, boarded the blue craft, which took off from the middle of the pitch once the stadium had emptied after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Eyewitnesses said the helicopter appeared to develop a mechanical problem in its rear propeller shortly after takeoff.

Images showed orange balls of flame engulfing the wreckage in the car park at King Power Stadium — the scene of unbridled jubilation after Leicester’s Premier League victory two years ago.

Prayers and tributes poured in from across Britain from the footballing world and beyond for the jovial man many credit with bringing glory to the central English city with the miracle-making club.

“He’s put Leicester on the map,” supporter Cathy Dann, 55, told AFP.

“He’s made us big,” she said, as aviation experts picked through small pieces of wreckage scattered on the stadium’s edge.

Among the tributes was an image of Ganesh — a Hindu god also seen in Thai Buddhist temples.

A minute’s silence was observed before the whistle of Sunday’s Premier League matches.

“It is a family business and they have instilled this sense of family not just throughout the club but into the city as well,” Andrew Hulley, the team’s chaplain for the past seven years, told AFP.

– Prayers and disbelief –

England legend Gary Lineker, a former Leicester player who was hosting the BBC’s Match of the Day when the accident happened, tweeted: “That was the most difficult @BBCMOTD I’ve ever hosted… A terrible tragedy. Heartbreaking.”

And ordinary fans in central Bangkok said Vichai helped develop Thailand’s football as well, bringing the Southeast Asian country greater recognition in the sports world.

“He is an important person who has raised the bar of Thai football further,” Apichart Jitratkavee, a Leicester fan in the Thai capital, told AFP.

Vichai bought Leicester City in 2010 and moved to chairman the following February, pouring millions into the team and becoming a beloved figure in the club and the city — a feat not always achieved by the Premier League’s foreign owners.

– 5,000-1 odds –

It was under Vichai’s ownership that Leicester crafted one of the biggest fairytales in English football history by winning the 2015/16 Premier League, having started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title.

Vichai’s investments in the club helped return them to England’s Premier League from the second-tier Championship in 2014.

They initially seemed outclassed by richer and more established rival from London, Liverpool and Manchester, languishing at the very bottom of the table for most of the 2014/15 season.

The Foxes, as the team are nicknamed, then engineered what fans now fondly refer to as the “Great Escape”, winning seven of their last nine matches.

They ended up finishing 14th, securing another season in Europe’s richest league in 2015/16.

But not even their most devout fans could have imagined what happened next.

Vardy, signed from non-league Fleetwood Town, scored in 11 consecutive matches, propelling the men in blue to a title without parallel in Premier League history.

The success also qualified them for the first time for the lucrative Champions League, the pinnacle of European football played by the continent’s most successful sides, including Barcelona and Real Madrid.

There, Leicester City defied the odds yet again, winning their group before eventually losing their quarter-final 2-1 over two legs to Atletico Madrid.

ALTHOUGH Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s core business was his King Power shopping empire, the 60-year-old tycoon gained global fame as the owner of Leicester City when he stunned the football world by leading his team of outsiders to the 2015-2016 Premier League title.

A sports enthusiast, like his youngest son Aiyawatt, Vichai bought the Foxes when they were in the second-tier Championship, in 2010. He changed the name of the stadium to King Power in 2011, before the team finally achieved promotion to the English top-flight in 2014.

Vichai appointed Aiyawatt as club vice-chairman and the pair got busy not only investing money on the team but also playing a significant role in recruiting players and deciding on-field strategy.

The work eventually paid off when the Foxes achieved one of the most remarkable feats in sporting history. Under Italian manager Claudio Ranieri, Leicester won the Premier League title in May 2016, defying odds of 5,000-1.

The victory made Vichai the first Thai to lead an EPL club to the title, securing a place in the hearts of Foxes’ fans for generations to come. His easy-going nature and willingness to stop and take photos with supporters had already earned him great affection in the city and further afield.

The Srivaddhanaprabhas also introduced an atmosphere of Thai hospitality and generosity to the King Power Stadium, placing free goodies such as pins, snacks and clappers under every seat. Fans were also provided with free meal boxes while Vichai’s birthday saw the whole stadium invited to a free feast of doughnuts and beer.

But of all the Thai ways introduced at the club, it was the Buddhist rituals performed inside the complex that caught the most attention.

As a devout Buddhist, Vichai regularly invited Phra Prommangalajan, better known as Chao Khun Thong Chai, to visit and lend his players spiritual support. The assistant abbot of Traimitr Withayaram Temple blessed them with holy water before games. Fabric amulets were seen around the top of the stadium and within the facility.

In May 2017, Vichai bought his second football team, Oh Leuven, a second-tier club in Belgium. He recruited Thailand’s national goalkeeper Kawin Thamsatchanan for the project, making him the first Thai keeper to play professional football in Europe.

Vichai never forgot Thai football, initiating the Fox Hunt project in 2015 to select 10 Thai talents under the age of 15 to train at the Leicester City Academy and study at Ratcliffe College.

Korda, 20, shot four-under-par 68 for an aggregate score of 13-under 288 at the LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taoyuan, finishing two shots clear of Australia’s Minjee Lee.

Two birdies, no bogeys and an eagle on the par-five sixth made for a straightforward win after Korda’s overnight co-leader, Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling, fell away with a 74 to finish tied sixth.

Australia’s Lee shot 66, her lowest round of the tournament, to rise to second, one stroke ahead of American player Ryann O’Toole who carded 67 to finish third.

Korda was in tears on the 18th green when she spoke to 25-year-old Jessica, a five-time LPGA Tour winner, and other family members at home in the United States via video chat.

“That definitely brought me to tears, seeing everyone lined up there. When I was walking up to 18 I was like ‘Oh my gosh Nelly, hold back the tears!'” she said.

The Korda sisters are the daughters of former tennis world number two Petr Korda, who won the Australian Open 20 years ago in 1998.

Schauffele, the 2017 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year who celebrated his 25th birthday on opening-round Thursday, started the final round three strokes behind fellow American Finau at a windy Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai.

Schauffele had some early wobbles but closed strong, including crucial birdies on the final two holes to record the lowest score of the day — a four-under 68 — catching Finau to force the play-off.

Replaying the par-five 18th in sudden-death, Finau handed Schauffele the advantage when his tee shot leaked into a fairway bunker.

Schauffele reached the green in two, and Finau faced a do-or-die birdie putt from the fringe of the green, which just missed.

Schauffele’s win comes with a $1.8 million victor’s purse and moves him atop the standings in the young FedEx Cup 2018-2019 season.

– No fluke –

It also helps put to rest notions that his 2017 rookie season, in which Schauffele won twice — the Greenbrier Classic and Tour Championship — was a fluke.

“Last season, I really wanted to win to justify my rookie year and wasn’t able to do that,” he said.

“People can say whatever they want but my team and I, we know we are doing the right things.”

Down a stroke going to the tee of the par-3 17th in regulation, Schauffele birdied to move level with Finau and walk to the final hole tied at 13 under par.

Both hit outstanding approaches to reach the green on the par-5 hole in two, and each sank birdie putts to finish the 72 holes in 14 under and set up the playoff.

Schauffele, Finau and playing partner Justin Rose, the defending champion, had pulled away from the field over the back nine, making it essentially a three-man tournament.

But Rose, the world number three who could have returned to number one with a win, faltered late and finished four strokes back at 10 under.

It was a harsh disappointment for the long-hitting, 29-year-old Finau, who was impressive all week and lead after the second and third rounds.

Of Samoan and Tongan descent, Finau is the first player of that ancestry on the PGA Tour and the first Polynesian to play in the Ryder Cup, where he provided a rare bright spot as a USA captain’s pick in last month’s crushing loss to Europe.

His only PGA win so far was the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.

But Finau, along with Schauffele, has become a player to watch, recording 11 top-10 finishes in 2018, including at three majors, and his Ryder Cup performance.

Finau was world number 17 before the WGC-HSBC Champions, to Schauffele’s 19th.

“(I) definitely feel like I let one get away. Xander played incredible golf,” said Finau.

“He posted a number and made birdie on a playoff hole when it counted. Hats off him to. He played nicely today and deserved to win.”

The tournament, dubbed “Asia’s major”, annually gathers a premier field with its winner’s purse of $1.8 million.

But aside from Rose, several of the world’s top golfers struggled in the unpredictable winds that buffeted the lengthy par-72 Sheshan course.

World number one Brooks Koepka shot a 69 on Sunday to finish at two under, second-ranked Dustin Johnson finished at three over, and four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy managed even par only once in Shanghai to finish at 10 over par.

dma/amu

The one-make-race event, part of the Toyota Motosport 2018: Dare to Race project,  featured executives of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Thailand taking part in a race by using Hilux Revo Double Cap.

After seven laps, the top six positions were taken by Toyota Motor Corporation President Michinobu Sugat, Toyota Motor Thailand Vice President Surasak Suthonwan, Executive Vice President Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont, Carl Oppenborn, Vice President Suphachai Sinsuwannarak and Vice President Rungroj Khanchalee respectively.

“I was impressed and excited at the same time to compete in a race at this circuit which has the FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade standard for the first time,” said Michinobu.

“It’s a great circuit to test our pick-up car performance. We also feel honoured to have the chance to give something back to the society by donating proceeds from the event for charity purpose,” he added.

For further further information, visit  https://www.facebook.com/ToyotaMotorsportThai .

The 34-year-old Brazilian generate three goals in the second, 43^rd and 72^nd minutes for the Beetles to successfully defend their title.

The victory also marked the season’s third domestic title for Chiangrai who already bagged the League Cup and Thailand Champions Cup ahead of the Saturday’s game.

Apart from the champions’ prize money of Bt5 million, Chiangrai will also gain a berth into the preliminary round two of the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Polo-loving Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 61, endeared himself forever to Leicester fans by bringing the tiny club a league title in 2016, their first since the club was created in 1884.

It was a Premier League championship won against all the odds, one that put the central England city on the global sporting map and brought glory to generations of long-suffering fans.

Leicester City have been unable to reach quite the same meteoric heights since, finishing 12th in the subsequent season and ninth in 2017-18.

But it developed a sense of camaraderie among players and fans alike and a happy family atmosphere.

Jamie Vardy, the championship season’s talismanic goal scorer, on Saturday tweeted a message that simply showed eight hands held together in prayer.

The bespectacled Thai tycoon is known for his an unerring common touch, dishing out free beer and doughnuts at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, where he often lands his helicopter in the centre circle.

It was from there that his helicopter took off after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham before crashing in the car park directly outside the stadium grounds.

Despite his popularity, Srivaddhanaprabha remains an enigmatic figure and rarely gives interviews, preferring to let his son, Aiyawatt, known as “Top”, act as the family frontman.

He also rubs shoulders with celebrities and his surname, meaning “light of progressive glory,” was bestowed by Thailand’s late king Bhumibol Adulyadej.

“He (Vichai) is a successful businessman and he tried to challenge himself to get something done,” Top, Leicester’s vice-chairman, told AFP in Bangkok in 2016.

“He said, I think two or three years before, that he wants the team to be a success in the Premier League, and now we are.”

– Power of karma –

The avuncular Srivaddhanaprabha has carefully navigated Thailand’s treacherous political waters of recent years, while taking his King Power empire from strength to strength.

He established the company in 1989, starting with a single shop in Bangkok and building a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Leicester supporters quickly warmed to Srivaddhanaprabha after he bought the then second-tier Championship strugglers for an estimated 40 million pounds ($51 million, 45 million euros) in 2010.

The devout Buddhist is a firm believer in the power of karma, flying in Thai monks to bless Leicester’s pitch and give their players lucky amulets.

And while pumping tens of millions of pounds into the team, club debt and infrastructure, Srivaddhanaprabha has spent judiciously.

Leicester’s success was crafted from teamwork, endeavour, and hard work.

– Duty-free –

Srivaddhanaprabha rose from relative obscurity, flourishing during the last decade of political upheaval in Thailand, a country where big contracts follow political loyalties.

King Power hit the jackpot in 2006 when it won the duty-free concession at Bangkok’s cavernous new Suvarnabhumi airport, and with it a captive market of tens of millions of travellers.

In 2007, a year after ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Manchester City’s former owner, was dumped from office in a coup, Srivaddhanaprabha saw off legal moves to break his duty-free monopoly.

In a kingdom where connections count, Srivaddhanaprabha now firmly belongs to the royalist establishment that turfed out Thaksin. His family received its royal surname in 2013.

Before football, his first sporting love was polo, the sport beloved of the international elite, and both he and Top are accomplished players.

Srivaddhanaprabha boasts a lifetime membership at London’s Ham Polo club, frequented by the British royals, and has a stable of horses and players on retainer in Bangkok.