They queued patiently, nudging closer to the tent containing the book of condolence. Many wore tops displaying the image of their late owner and the words “The Boss”. Some were carrying wreaths, though there were already flowers aplenty at the shrine. They went back row after row, sitting beneath a portrait of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. One of the shirts hanging from the fence in Car Park E read to “To our King, RIP” and he looked a monarch, mourned by his people.
The Leicester folk were sombre and respectful, the mood of quiet contemplation, but they were not alone. A Newcastle United supporter carried a banner that read “football unites”. “It is a strange thing about rivalry and fans and football,” said Burnley manager Sean Dyche. “There are things that are bigger than that.”
There was every conceivable Leicester kit – home and away, adult and child, goalkeeper and outfield, plus the celebratory T-shirts – in a wall of shirts but they were joined by those from Sheffield United, Exeter City, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Hinckley and the rugby-playing Leicester Tigers.
This was where, two weeks earlier, the Leicester’s owner’s final helicopter flight had met its tragic end. “Forever in our hearts,” read the message inside the King Power Stadium. He will be forever in their view, too, with the club announcing plans to erect a statue to Srivaddhanaprabha.
The tributes took many forms. The injured Harry Maguire joined in the “Walk for Vichai” with thousands of fans, some of them Burnley supporters. The directors’ box contained Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare, Nigel Pearson and Martin O’Neill, former managers appearing to pay their respects, and drawing nostalgic chants from the supporters’ songbook. A video of Srivaddhanaprabha ended with a loud refrain of “Vichai,” from the home faithful, many waving scarves reading “Mr Chairman”. His name was a constant refrain thereafter and there was a particularly loud ovation after an hour for a man whose life was curtailed at 60.
The programme contained the thoughts of Leicester’s past and present. “The best person to have been at Leicester,” insisted Riyad Mahrez. “Under Khun Vichai, everybody loved Leicester,” declared Esteban Cambiasso. “The reaction has been unreal,” said Jamie Vardy.
______________
Read more:
Leicester City to rely on 'spirit' and fan support in first home match since owner's death
In pictures: Leicester City players arrive in Thailand for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's funeral
Son of Leicester City owner vows to continue Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's 'big mission'
In pictures: Players and mourners pay tribute to Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
WATCH: Family of Leicester City's late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha pay respects at stadium
______________
The first game back at the King Power Stadium was not normal. Leicester had beaten Cardiff City, but that was in Wales. A match at the scene of a crash Kasper Schmeichel witnessed was understandably emotional. It concluded with Leicester luminaries congregating in the centre circle, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha wiping tears away after an illustration of how much his late father meant to so many. "It was a communion with our fans," said manager Claude Puel.
It was a day when Leicester got everything right bar, understandably, the outcome. Burnley were respectful visitors, laying a wreath on Friday, and obdurate opponents.
“One of the hardest games I have ever played,” said Marc Albrighton. “The lads are emotionally drained.” They had visited Thailand for the funeral but, their build-up disrupted but, Puel said: “The players compensated with desire.” Vardy had a shot cleared off the line by Matt Lowton. Rachid Ghezzal headed against the bar. Joe Hart denied Demarai Gray but a breakthrough proved elusive.
“I was proud of the players’ performance,” Puel added. “I hope we can continue this response to honour our chairman. We need to have his dreams in our head. It was a special day.”
“The best thing is it has reminded everyone that underneath the gloss, the glamour and the winning, is that a club is part of a community,” added Dyche.
And so it showed on a lap of honour, the Leicester family applauding one another to a soundtrack of Time To Say Goodbye. Which Leicester did, and beautifully.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
SPECS
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The%20specs
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Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
