A tragedy for the club - Leicester boss Puel reacts to helicopter crash

Claude Puel confirmed he was safe following speculation he might have been on board in the helicopter crash outside Leicester's stadium.

Published : Oct 28, 2018 17:29 IST

Leicester City manager Claude Puel
Leicester City manager Claude Puel
lightbox-info

Leicester City manager Claude Puel

Leicester City  manager  Claude Puel  has labelled Saturday's helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium as "a tragedy for the club".

An aircraft belonging to chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha came down in a car park shortly after take-off at about 20:30 local time, around an hour after Puel's side claimed a 1-1 draw against West Ham in the  Premier League.

There have been unconfirmed reports that Srivaddhanaprabha was on board and it is unclear at this stage whether there are any survivors.

Leicestershire Police confirmed that the Air Accident Investigation Branch is leading an investigation, while the club is assisting the police and emergency services, with a more detailed statement to follow once further details have been established.

READ:  Fans in shock after Leicester City helicopter crash

Some speculation on Saturday suggested Puel himself might have been on board but the 57-year-old confirmed that he was safe in a telephone conversation with Jacques Vendroux of  Radio France , in quotes reported on the  Franceinfo website .

"It's a tragedy for the club. I think very strongly about the victims and their families. I wanted to reassure everyone who cares about me, I'm terribly sad, but I'm fine," he said.

Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester in August 2010 and was named chairman in February 2011. The Thai businessman oversaw the Foxes' remarkable Premier League triumph in 2015-16.

As the wait for further news about the crash continued on Sunday, dozens of fans gathered at the King Power Stadium to lay floral tributes. Leicester's scheduled FA Women's Championship fixture against Manchester United has been postponed.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment