A message from Leicester City Chairman Iwat Srivatnaprabha.
Today we share together the loss and pain of dismissal.
But we’ll be back.
We started this incredible journey in 2010 when we arrived at Leicester City – a much-loved Championship club with a great tradition and such passionate fans. Back then, we had one ambition – the ambition to get the club back into the Premier League.
It took us four years to realize that as we steadily and deliberately built the club, investing in our playing squad, staff and infrastructure to ensure we were ready for the Premier League. We had some setbacks, but we pushed together and believed that what we were building would eventually lead us to where we wanted to be.
The promotion was just the beginning and we achieved things and shared experiences together that no one will ever forget. In our first season back in the top flight, everyone thought we were relegated but we showed immense resilience and character to come back and produce one of the greatest recoveries the Premier League has ever seen. A year later, we’ve completed a climb that no one thought possible – from relegation favorites to Premier League champions and one of the greatest sporting stories ever told.
Under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid, we took Leicester City to the UEFA Champions League. We have used the benefit of that success to reinvest in the club, strengthen our squad, improve the experience for our fans and launch plans for major projects such as Seagrave and stadium expansion which will provide long-term strength and growth.
In 2018, we shared the loss of our late leader, my father Kun Wichai. It was a very painful experience for me and my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger. I am committed as chairman to continuing the ambition my father and I shared for the club, realizing his vision for Leicester City which will ultimately become his legacy.
Like many clubs, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit us hard. We lost revenue and had to adapt, but we continued to support the club, continued to support our communities through unprecedented times and continued to deliver success on the pitch. We finished in the top six, we returned to Europe, we launched LCFC Women, lifted the FA Cup for the first time in our history, added the Community Shield and reached the European semi-finals after memorable nights in Moscow, Rennes. Eindhoven and Rome.
Of course, these milestones put our current situation in a very stark context, but I mention them to highlight the progress we have made as a club over the last 13 years, which gives me hope to build again. The exodus is undeniably a significant setback, but it doesn’t define us.
This past season was very difficult for all of us to endure and eventually relegated from the Premier League. Yesterday we gave everything to turn it around and the atmosphere on the ground was absolutely incredible after we went ahead and saw the trend of survival. But relegation was the result of 38 games and we didn’t play well enough in that period. In the coming days and weeks, we must reflect on the processes and decisions that brought us to this point. What we learn from this experience should make us stronger and prevent it from happening again in the future.
Today we share loss and pain together. But we’ll be back.
This responsibility I continue to live with is one of the greatest responsibilities of my life and I will continue to put everything into it, my passion, my family and the entire King Power community.
I have received a lot of messages from our fans – both positive and negative. Some want me to sell the club, some use hurtful and thoughtless words, some are downright abusive.
But for every hurtful message I receive, I receive messages of support, appreciation, solidarity — from people I’ve met far and wide anonymously in public, always coming to say hello to me and my family. It means a lot to us.
We want to thank you and let you know that Leicester City still has the same ambition we had 13 years ago. The incredible support we had at our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we received from our fans and the constructive feedback we received – we will gather this support and use it to power our recovery. The power to justify our fans’ faith in the club. The power to take us back to the Premier League.
Next season will be tough, but it will be a year of cooperation and unity. We will fight together to get back to the Premier League.
Thank you for your support.
Ayavat Srivattanaprabha
Chairman