Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers credits "realistic ambition" of Srivaddhanaprabha family; watch Leicester vs Newcastle United on Friday from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Premier League; kick-off is 8pm
Wednesday 5 May 2021 15:49, UK
Brendan Rodgers has praised Leicester's owners for prioritising the supporters instead of solely running the club as a business.
Travel retail group King Power have owned Leicester since August 2010 and, under the Srivaddhanaprabha family, returned to the Premier League in 2014 before memorably winning the title in 2015-16.
Fans at several Premier League clubs have held protests against their owners in recent weeks since the aftermath of the failed European Super League, but Leicester's owners are well regarded by their supporters.
Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha succeeded his late father Vichai, who was killed along with four other passengers when his helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium in October 2018.
"The owners here are very much the supporters," Rodgers said.
"That's what they think about, how they can look after the fans. Before arriving I saw what they did to celebrate birthdays and everything else. It's all about the support and how they can put everything in place.
"It's not necessarily only a business for them. They put in huge amounts of money, but it's based around taking care of the fans and making the supporters proud are proud of the club.
"They are a great demonstration and I'm sure there are many clubs who would have loved them to be their owners."
Rodgers added the owners held a "realistic ambition" of the club who moved into a new £95m training ground in December - a long-held goal under the Srivaddhanaprabha family ownership.
Meanwhile, Rodgers said Leicester have "no concerns" over their trip to face Manchester United at Old Trafford next Wednesday.
A protest at the stadium on Sunday by Manchester United fans against the club's owners, which included supporters invading the pitch, caused the match against Liverpool to be postponed.
When asked about the potential for further demonstrations that evening and a possible need to boost security around the Leicester squad, Foxes boss Rodgers said: "Obviously we've seen the protest last weekend in a high-profile game.
"We condemn any violence that was seen on the day, but certainly for the Manchester United supporters there has clearly been a source of frustration for many, many years for them, and they come out to support the team and support their role within that.
"But for us, going there next week, we've got no concerns whatsoever. We look forward to going there and playing the game."
Leicester, who narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season, are five points clear of fourth-placed West Ham in the league and host Newcastle on Friday, live on Sky Sports.
"It is going to be tight right until the end. We have always thought that," said Rodgers.
"We can only really concentrate on ourselves and do our own job. In order to finish high up in the top four, you have got to win games. We are in a great position on 63 points."
