Leicester City helicopter crash tributes to be moved

  • Published
Tributes outside Leicester's stadiumImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

A huge number of tributes have been left outside the club's stadium

Tributes left following the death of five people in a helicopter crash outside Leicester City's stadium are set to be moved.

Club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was among those who died when the aircraft came down on 27 October.

Ahead of Saturday's first home game since the crash, the tributes will be moved to a designated memorial area close to the accident site.

A tribute video will also be shown 15 minutes before the 15:00 GMT kick-off.

Leicester City players will wear special shirts with their former owner's name embroidered on it for Saturday's game against Burnley.

Fans will be given commemorative scarves, pin badges, clappers and programmes in honour of Mr Vichai.

The club said a two-minute silence will be observed before the game in memory of servicemen and women, as well as the five who died in the crash.

Additionally, supporters have planned a tribute march from Jubilee Square to King Power Stadium shortly after midday.

Fans to help move tributes

Image source, AFP
Image caption,

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought the club in 2010

Leicester City says Mr Vichai's family and everyone at the club have been deeply moved by "the remarkable volume of generous and thoughtful tributes".

But realistically they need to be moved in order for fans to get inside the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, which is also the final day of Mr Vichai's funeral in Bangkok, the floral tributes are being moved to a designated area which is close to the accident site.

The club has invited fans to get in touch if they want to help move the vast volume of flowers to the south-east corner of the ground.

It also plans to use a number of the gifts of shirts, scarves, flags and personal mementos that have been left among the tributes in a pitchside display for Saturday's match.

Mr Vichai revolutionised the way the club raised money for charity, according to the Foxes ambassador Alan Birchenall.

The Leicester City Foxes Foundation was renamed the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation in honour of the late chairman, on Tuesday.

Mr Birchenall said: "He's been very charitable to Leicester and Leicestershire people."

He added that the Thai billionaire's "generosity" saw him make about £4m in personal donations to local hospitals, universities and charities.

Jamie Vardy's executive box and boots he wore in last Saturday's match at Cardiff are set to be auctioned for the foundation.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Rebekah Vardy

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Rebekah Vardy
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 2 by Rebekah Vardy

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 2 by Rebekah Vardy

An inquest, opened on Tuesday, heard there was "minimal chance" for anyone to survive the crash outside the ground.

Players and staff have returned to the UK after attending the start of Mr Vichai's funeral in Thailand.

Two members of Mr Vichai's staff, Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots and partners Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz were also killed in the crash.

Police have said Ms Lechowicz was a passenger at the time of the crash.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating the cause.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, external, on Twitter, external, or on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk, external.

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.