Leicester City chairman statue at King Power gets go-ahead

Plans for a statue to honour the late Leicester City chairman have been approved by the city council.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in October 2018.

His son Aiyawatt has previously said he wanted the statue as "a permanent and fitting tribute".

It will be encircled by planters and benches at the north of the stadium, near Raw Dykes Road.

An inscription around the base of the statue will read "always in our hearts", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The statue itself will be 2.7m high, standing on a 2.5m plinth bearing the logo of the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation - the club charity named in his honour.

The four planters and benches are designed to "stress the importance" of the monument and allow visitors to "sit, dwell and reflect".

Leicester City chief executive Susan Whelan said: "We are very pleased to be sharing this news with our supporters, with the city of Leicester and with football fans all over the world, whose kindness in the wake of Khun Vichai's passing demonstrated what an inspiration he was to so many people.

"Khun Vichai's contribution to this club and this city - his vision, his generosity and his belief in people - are immortalised in the memory of every person touched by our story. The statue will be a place for people to remember, to celebrate his life and to share those stories for generations to come."

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