Leicester City FC gets blessing from Thai monk

Leicester City's success story has a Thai edge as the club is owned by Vichai Raksriaksorn. This billionaire got rich with the King Power Duty Free shops in Thailand.

Unfortunately, Leicester City failed to secure the Premier League title yesterday. Visiting Manchester United, the leader got stuck at 1-1.

On Monday evening, the only remaining competitor Tottenham Hotspur comes into action. The difference in the ranking is eight points. When visiting Chelsea, the Spurs must win, if not, Leicester is still champion of England without playing.

'Magical powers'

The success of this underdog is hard to explain, isn't it? If Leicester City manage to win their first Premier League title in a hundred years, it must be thanks to the monk Chao Khun Thongchai, who meditates during the match in a special Buddha room decorated by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. The monk does not watch the match, but sends "positive energy." "I'm not so concerned with the result, because I have to stay calm and neutral," says the man who barely understands the game of football.

The football players have all been given three magical amulets at the start of the season. Incidentally, Thongchai does not believe that his magical amulets can make the club national champion. He attributes the club's success to Vichai's management and the hard work of players and coach: “My blessings, amulets and other sacred objects are only there to give them confidence. I'm not saying it's all because of me, I'm saying the confidence makes a big difference.”

Football

Thongchai, who became a monk at 15 and is now 64, says he was never interested in football until Vichai bought the club in 2010 and invited him to bless the station. Since then he has been busier than ever, as football fans, athletes and coaches find him at Wat Traimit in Bangkok. Fans ask him to bless the club flag; athletes and coaches arrive before an important game hoping to get luck on their side.

Source: Bangkok Post