Beloved owner of Leicester City leaves legacy of generosity

They lost just three of their 38 games to win the title by a comfortable 10-point margin, ahead of far more illustrious rivals Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Though his public comments were limited, Leicester's ever-smiling chairman became a talisman of the campaign, watching on from his seat in the stadium beside his son Aiyawatt, the club's vice-chairman.

While many foreign owners have been viewed with suspicion by their English club's fans - for reasons such as a lack of respect for supporters or their club's traditions - Vichai was held in the highest regard by the Leicester faithful.

They showed it during one match late in that 2015-16 season, when their title was secured, with the 32,000-strong King Power Stadium crowd rising to give their chairman a spontaneous standing ovation.

Vichai became known for his generosity around the club.

When Leicester narrowly avoided the threat of relegation to the second tier at the end of 2014-15, he sent "bottle after bottle" of champagne to the dressing room, according to British media. He also treated fans in the stadium to a free Thai Singha beer at the end of successful campaigns.

Vichai bought Leicester for 39 million pounds ($50 million) in 2010. After the club's turnaround, it is now valued at 371 million pounds ($476 million), according to Forbes.

Such a transformation was in keeping with Vichai's success in the business world, after starting his duty-free interests from modest beginnings.

In 1989, he was granted a license to open Thailand's first downtown duty-free store. Expansion into Thai airports followed, with King Power ultimately granted a monopoly for duty-free stores at all the nation's main airports.

Today the King Power empire is worth $4.88 billion according to Forbes, with Vichai having been the fifth-richest person in Thailand.

His family's empire also included Accor's Pullman hotels in Thailand, and a $226 million stake, bought in 2016, in the country's biggest budget airline, Thai Air-Asia.

Last year, Vichai also enlarged his soccer interests, buying Belgian second-tier club Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

Vichai's rise in business sparked some drama.

The granting of King Power's monopoly status at Thailand's airports - set in motion in 2004 by the government of since-ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra - caused some controversy.

And this year, King Power has defended itself against a lawsuit lodged by a former anti-graft official alleging it had not paid the government its due share of revenue from its airport franchise.

Aside from business and soccer, Vichai quickly became a noted polo devotee in England, playing on occasion with Princes Charles and William.

He spent millions establishing his polo team, the King Power Foxes, which began in 2014 and has enjoyed success at the top levels in the UK.

Associated Press