BANGKOK – Bangkok’s growing contingent of Leicester City fans guzzled free beers and plates of fried rice laid on by the club’s Thai owners at a raucous big screen broadcast of Sunday’s nail biting 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The ranks of Leicester supporters in Thailand, or “Siamese Foxes”, are swelling each week as the Premier League leaders inch closer to one of sport’s most improbable championship victories.

Hundreds gathered for the Sunday evening outdoor screening at the downtown headquarters of King Power – the Thai duty-free giant founded by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who bought the midlands club in 2010.

Thailand’s ‘Siamese Foxes’ party as Leicester inch towards Premier League crown

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Reuters

Lubricated by free beer and the see-sawing game, the lively crowd – many sporting club shorts, blue bandanas or Fox-shaped stickers on their cheeks – screamed on every Leicester attack.

As the clocked ticked down, the crowd erupted – confident that the Premier League title will soon have a Thai connection.

“The Siamese Foxes will win the next game against Everton for sure, it’s a home game,” said Wattapat Pornpiwat, a King Power employee who started supporting the team after Vichai’s takeover.

“It is historic for Thai people and the country that team is ‘Number 1’… we’ll coming back here to cheer until we’re champions,” added a jubilant Wattapat.

Fans cheered on their new heroes in blue, but they also did the once unthinkable in the football-mad country – boo Manchester United.

English Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea traditionally draw a strong following.

Vichai and his son Aiyawatt better known as “Top” want to turn Leicester into a global brand and will soon be armed with the windfall from next season’s Premier League television rights and potentially a remarkable underdog title win to boost the fanbase.

In a sign of the possible changing of the guard, fans roundly jeered England and United icon Wayne Rooney after he was booked for fouling newly crowned PFA player of the year Riyad Mahrez.

SINGAPORE – In a raucous sea of Red Devils at Harry’s at Boat Quay, Mr Parry Tan was the sole Leicester City fan, but that did not stop him from being the loudest supporter in the room during ONE FM Game Night on Sunday (May 1).

Despite the Foxes failing to clinch the league title yesterday at Old Trafford when they played out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United, the 42-year-old continued to remain upbeat about their prospects.

Mr Tan said: “I was expecting Man U to win anyway.

“Next week, I’m expecting us to beat Everton at home but this whole season has been a fairy tale, seriously.”

A diehard Leicester fan since 1993, Mr Tan celebrated his team’s dramatic goal in the 17th minute when he ran to the front of the room and took off his shirt, with the United fans at Harry’s sportingly cheering him on.

Nearing the end of the game, he was even in a singing mood where he led the room to the tune of What Does The Fox Say.

After the final whistle, the Man U fans graciously congratulated Mr Tan, wishing him luck for the next match.

As the only Leicester supporter among his friends, he said: “You should see all the messages from them this season. ‘Well done, Foxes,’ ‘Let’s go, Foxes,’ it’s been crazy, man.

“I never saw us ever being in this position and to be at the cusp of greatness is just – wow, amazing. We’ll just see about it next week.”

Also in attendance was Mrs May Schooling, mother of national swimmer Joseph Schooling.

Even though she was rooting for United yesterday, the Liverpool fan said: “Honestly, it’s good to see fans like Parry.

“I think he was more crazy than any of the United fans in the room – it’s quite refreshing to see.”

Thailand’s ‘Siamese Foxes’ party as Leicester inch towards Premier League crown

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

Reuters

This article was first published on May 1, 2016.
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