For years, Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha kept the fan base completely in the dark, refusing to sit for interviews bar cosy in-house chats. Now that LCFC is up for sale, he won't even offer any meaningful comments to respected outlets like The Athletic.
Now, as details of the slightly cringe-inducing "Project Lineup" brochure sent to potential investors come to light, it is clear that the silence was deliberate. The Blue Army were deliberately kept out of the loop while the owner weighed up walking away from the club his late, great father once transformed into champions.
A chairman should never leave supporters in limbo, nor should they intentionally withhold critical information about the flailing institution that sits at the very heart of a city. Yet every single Leicester fan now understands exactly why Srivaddhanaprabha (Top) was so shady and coy in his recent dealings with on Filbert Way: he knew full well that no one would have agreed to, or allowed, the damage he and his ill-advised right-hand man, chief football officer Jon Rudkin, have inflicted on this proud organisation over the past few years.
More intense protests and widespread unrest would have put a stop to all of that nonsense long before the Foxes tumbled into the third tier of English football. Instead, Top chose to say almost nothing at all.
How much Leicester City FC is worth
The club the Srivaddhanaprabhas initially bought for ÂŁ35m is indeed up for sale, with the Srivaddhanaprabha family seeking ÂŁ222m for the entire portfolio. However, realistic projections suggest a deal will likely land closer to ÂŁ148 million given the teams fall to League One and years of heavy financial losses.
"Leicester’s owners, are looking for $300m (£222m) for the entire portfolio, but a deal is more likely to be done at closer to $200m (£148m) due to the club’s recent drop into League One — English football’s third tier — and heavy recent losses."The Athletic
That price tag covers every major asset tied to the club, including King Power Stadium valued at ÂŁ74m, the state-of-the-art Seagrave training base worth ÂŁ121m, the Belvoir Drive facility (now used by the women's side) at ÂŁ9m, that outfit itself, the renowned Category One academy that has produced talent sold for more than ÂŁ250m in recent years - and even Belgian sister club OH Leuven. Also included is the land acquired near the stadium that was once earmarked for expansion, a plan shelved and only announced once relegation occurred.
This is a radical shift for an entity that lifted the Premier League trophy just a decade ago, now being priced as a League One asset rather than a top flight standout. While ordinary people cannot simply step forward and buy a professional football club outright, the asking price feels surprisingly low.
It is almost as if the wealthiest and most dedicated Foxes fans could come together, pool their resources in a collective effort, and take control of the club they love to steer it in the right direction at last. Wishful thinking!
Essentially, the only real hope is that a serious, organised and capable buyer emerges (not another unstructured, failing operation like The King Power International Group has become) - someone who is entirely focused on restoring this great club to its rightful place in the EPL. The support have endured enough silence and mismanagement, and now deserve owners who will fight for the badge as fiercely as they commit themselves every single week.
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