Foxes are here to play the Toffees
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English Premier League newcomers Leicester City landed in the country for the second time in less than three months to play an exhibition match against Everton on Sunday at Supachalasai stadium.
The Thai-owned club, nicknamed the “Foxes”, were here in May to celebrate their promotion to the English top-flight division after they won the second-tier Championship last season.
Leicester are due to take part in a match, which was arranged to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its parent company, King Power Group, whose investment was behind the club’s success in securing EPL promotion after slipping out of the top league in 2004. The Foxes’ opponents are Everton, another EPL club which has a long-standing connection with the country. The Merseyside outfit, whose shirt sponsorship with Thaibev is continuing for more than ten years, are scheduled to arrive today.
Ahead of the Leicester team’s arrival, dozens of the club’s Thai fans got a special opportunity to greet the Foxes’ players as they were allowed to wait inside the VIP Room at Suvarnabhumi airport.
The fans, many of them holding items associated with the club such as flags and banners, waited patiently even though the team arrived nearly an hour later than scheduled. They immediately came alive at the sight of the Foxes’ travelling party. Coming out first was Leicester manager Nigel Pearson, who led the club to promotion in his second spell in charge of the team, with captain and central defender Wes Morgan closely behind him.
Fans greeted Leicester squad, which included new signings such as former Aston Villa winger Marc Albrighton, with chants of “Welcome to Thailand” before each player received a garland around their neck from King Power executives.
After a brief photo session, Leicester players, who still looked fresh despite spending long hours in the flight, made their way into the coach waiting outside the building, with chants of “Leicester, Leicester” reverberating in their ears.
