JibrinThe shimmering aura of 2016 is starting to feel less like a contemporary chapter and more like a fading, grainy image on an old VHS tape. For the Leicester City supporters, the connection with Chairman Aiyawatt “Khun Top” Srivaddhanaprabha has always been grounded in a profound, almost reverential appreciation for the club’s heritage and, of course, the memory of the late Vichai.
The FA Cup victory helped somewhat cement Top’s leadership; fans also deeply understood the pain of losing his father. Yet an awkward and increasing contradiction is emerging at Filbert Way: the very legacy that maintains fan devotion is being methodically ignored by LCFC’s present leadership.
Turning their back on Leicester’s heritage
The most recent individual to find himself frozen out is Emile Heskey, a figure whose Leicester connections stretch back before the King Power takeover but whose role in the club’s survival is virtually unmatched. Well before the recent silverware arrived, Heskey was the homegrown talent who rose to the occasion during the Foxes’ bleakest period.
The former striker joined Gary Lineker in a group that essentially rescued the Foxes from the brink of liquidation. Notwithstanding this, and a recent selfless offer to contribute his knowledge back at the club where he began, Heskey encountered nothing but the resounding quiet from Leicester’s senior officials.
I’m a busy man, but when it comes to my hometown and my club, I wanted to give my time for free, but they have not acknowledged it.
“No outreach has been made, they’ve got my number and know who I am, but I’ve had nothing back…”
Heskey is not an isolated case. Director of Football Jon Rudkin and the Chairman recently presided over a “non-event” gathering where the heroes of the 2015/16 Premier League championship were notably pushed aside. This is not a singular mistake; it is emerging as a recurring theme that this publication has observed for nearly ten years.
As the ownership relies on the sentiment of the ‘Leicester Miracle’ to preserve their image, their actual handling of living legends reveals a different reality. Should the leadership persist in shutting out the foundations upon which the club was built, they may discover that the connection with the fanbase ultimately starts to fracture.
Jibrin
