Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha issues a long awaited message to concerned fans regarding the club’s past struggles.
After years of limited communication, said to be impacted by COVID, relegation, and facing a number of challenges, he wants to opened up to fans, shared his plans, and aims to rebuild the close bond from his early ownership days (2010).
He accepts criticism, understands fan frustration over relegation and expectations; admits communication gaps were partly his fault due to duties in Thailand.
Regarding promotion back to Premier League, he notes that it will take time, that there are no quick fixes. But wants to be transparent, make the effort and support having met with Fan Advisory Board.
It comes days after Leicester released a statement with fan groups condemning hateful chanting towards club hierarchy during the much needed win at Norwich on Saturday.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Leicester City are overhauling their football operations in a major reshuffle, with beleaguered director of football Jon Rudkin to move ‘upstairs’.
The club plans to appoint its first-ever technical director to take control of recruitment and scouting.
Read more… pic.twitter.com/fIkIZkhO1a
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) November 14, 2025
Interviewer: “Khun Top, we’re here today in Bangkok because now you feel is the right time to speak to our fans. What would you like to say to them?”
Khun Top: “It’s been so long that last time I spoke to the fans and I think it’s about time that I want to sharing all the information and give your trust back to the club and asking all the fans to know and closer together as the club, as the chairman, as the interim CEO.
“I want the club back to be the same like when I came in the first time and I think we have a very good time and we have a very sad time and we have a very difficult time together but the main thing that today I want to talk to you is I want to get closer, I want to get more information to the fans, I want the fans to feel what I plan to do, I want fans to understand what the club want to move going forward, how we’re going to do it.”
Interviewer: “Because it is clearly something that you want to open up those lines of communication, you’ve even had a meeting with the fan advisory board as well so you’re already putting in the steps of reconnecting with the fan base, is that a fair way of putting it?”
Khun Top: “I think first year that we own the club in 2010, I did have that conversation and met with many fans and I hear them and I think that time I feel connected and I think that is a good way to do it, for whatever reason it’s gone for quite a while and after many things, COVID and the communication is gone and I think we have many things that happened in the last seven years and also we have some good time in Europe with FA Cup together and relegate that we did not plan.
“It’s quite fast, the time has been flying but I never forget to communicate but it’s not easy at times and I see that and I feel that how the fan is perceived and that main reason actually today that I want to reconnect and I want to let them understand what it feels and what I ask them to help because a football club needs fans to support and as the chairman, as the owner, as the acting CEO, whatever position, I’m the fan as well.
“So it’s important and the players, whatever they perform, they’re not performing, they perform well, I think we are human beings and we want to be successful but every team also wants to be successful so we have to fight and that little help from the fan can drive something special.”
Interviewer: “You can see how much passion you have just in talking to you about the football club, about the history, about absolutely everything so does it sometimes upset you then when that is called into question, your love for the club?”
Khun Top: “I think when we lost the game, as the football fans, I know how it feels because I love football and you have to respond to all those criticisms or complaints or expectations of the fans that we should win Premier League and we want to win every year of course but in real life it’s not easy but I accept expectations.
“I understand how the fans want the club to go in the direction that they love to see but we have to understand and I try to understand also otherwise I cannot live in this situation anyway that if we are in a good plan we should be back in Premier League and all those complaints, criticisms, whatever you know in this real life that everybody got it, it’s okay for me even in Leicester, I walk down in the stadium and see some fans, they support so I think I don’t ask people to love or support to my family, to myself, to the club but I ask them to a little bit understand what the club try to do and expectation is good to have but we have to manage and we will manage.”
Interviewer: “You can understand though why some supporters might have that feeling about things that the club hasn’t got right in the past couple of years?”
Khun Top: “Yeah, for sure, what I mentioned, we have a lot of difficult time, it’s clear and I will try to fix, I’m sure that I’m not gonna let this kind of situation go on and on because it’s difficult, when it’s difficult, the fans feel difficult, I have to manage difficult too.
“So I think it’s not easy the situation we got but it’s gonna take time that nothing to lie because sport is not easy to change one thing in one year or two years, three years, like we are in Championship when we bought the club, we said we try to bring the team back to Premier League, it takes three years and it takes almost seven years, eight years in Premier League and now we’re back to be the same you know like 10 years or 15 years or whatever in Championship.
“I think we need time to rebuild everything, maybe some fans are not happy with the answer that I say but it’s realistic and I don’t want to make sure, I want to make sure that everyone understands the same, that when to rebuild something is not to change everything and it’s gonna be success, I think it takes effort and time, of course if it’s shorter I do it, if it’s not success we try again, if it’s success we win together.”
Interviewer: “So how do you want the club to feel then moving forward, whether that’s in the short term or the long term, whether that’s supporters, the players, the staff in this next chapter which it’s fair to say it is going to be difficult, you’ve said that yourself, how do you want the club to feel together?”
Khun Top: “I think first thing is like I said you have to understand the difficulty of Championship where we are now, I’m sure we have all ambition that we want to back to Premier League and I want first thing that people have to be closer, more communication and and I think transparent with all the things to the fans, to the players and you know I will use a lot of time to talk to the fan advisory board and I’m gonna use time to understand more what the fans need because inside the club I always ask the players or the staff what they need, what I can do, I want to improve a lot of aspects in the club and the first thing is we need to be closer.
“We need to be talking, communication more and the idea will come and after the talk to the director I think we have sharing a lot of information, a lot of ideas what the club should do or should not do, what going forward I think has a lot of plan together and I think it’s just the starting point, I think has more to come in the near future.”
Interviewer: “Yeah, I guess that the criticism that fans have had is that they’ve just not heard enough from you or from the senior members of staff in the club so this is okay, it’s a starting block, it’s the first small step but it’s your way of saying to them we’re changing that.”
Khun Top: “I think maybe it’s my fault also because I used to talk to the fans, I used to talk to the media but I have responsibility here in Thailand a lot and we have a lot of things happening in the link COVID to now.
“But anyway it’s the past that I want to change the way we communicate and we want to change the way we are you know telling the fans and listen to the fans, I know how it’s important and I know how social media work, I know how people love to involve with the things that they are interested in and we are today, like you mentioned Dan, that it just started so I hope it’s a good start and it will continue.
“I want to do it for a long time, that’s why I said maybe it’s my fault that my time is not right or I travel or I think it’s okay and football result is still, you know, have to see so it’s a lot of things behind but in my mind it’s always I want to speak, I want to see fans, I want to listen to them, I want to improve in communication and we are here today because I want to do it.”
Interviewer: “Just understanding that you know how to find the balance between what’s happened in the past, not just the bad things but the good things and particularly the last few years and then showing the fans that you’ve learned from those and that in the next future and the building for the future is everything can be learned and pushed into that one goal.”
Khun Top: “I think behind the scene that people don’t see or they don’t even have ideas what’s behind, maybe I cannot say but we work so hard, you know, in terms of to make sure the club is in the right place and try to fight when we are trying to fight with the relegation last year.
“A lot of difficulty, a lot of, you know, pain so I think maybe that part is when we are in difficulty we have to be planning and understand. When you understand then you fix. We try to fix a lot of things and many things are not going what we expect, you know.
“That’s why I mentioned to you that maybe sometime I should communicate at that time but maybe it’s my fault I didn’t do it and we are here and I think we should reconnect it and should start planning and doing the same and telling the fans what’s happening and fix together.”
CLUB STATEMENT:
“Leicester City Football Club can confirm the appointment of Kamonthip Netthanomsak to the position of Interim Managing Director to support the Club’s leadership during a period of executive transition.
“Khun Kamonthip will provide strategic support to Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in his capacity as Interim CEO until a permanent CEO is appointed, with particular focus on commercial and operational fields.
“A highly regarded business strategist and specialist in supply chain innovation, operational efficiency and customer service in consumer goods and retail sectors, Khun Kamonthip was recently recruited to King Power from CP AXTRA.
“She will be formally introduced to the Club’s at its next scheduled meeting on Wednesday 19 November.”
Twitter users reacted after the Leicester chairman issues a long awaited message to concerned fans regarding past struggles…
Scripted questions, but non-scripted answers from Khun Top. Finally, some clarity and the start of the executive overhaul.
Rudkin being ‘moved upstairs’ I’m pretty sure means he’ll be out the door sooner rather than later IMO…#lcfc https://t.co/W2NanfQdMe
— Dan Middleton (@middz6) November 14, 2025
@Roberts2Chris: I think we all need to take this as a positive step and now let’s see what happens next. I sincerely hope that the communication with the fans now starts to improve and brings all parties back together again.
@E_Hewins: He cares, there’s no debating that in my eyes.
@lcfcjoss: It’s a start and it’s good that communication is one of the things he wants to improve. From the interview I don’t think it was great and I felt like there were some excuses thrown in there whilst things like covid etc might’ve had an impact, it doesn’t excuse the fall off
@chlo_louise_s: I respect this so much! Fans want change and he’s listening! Whether a section of the fan base has gone a bit too far to get the change is something to be questioned about but one way or another he knows we need to alter 👏👏 #lcfc
@Ashleypp1986: Actions speak louder than words Top the only way to reconnect with the fans is stop leaving us in the dark and maybe start listening to what the fans who pay very good money to support the club have to say and take things onboard! Fans are the heartbeat of any club! #LCFC
@c_r_5: Now Top is giving an on-camera interview about #lcfc changes. Wouldn’t have happened without those out of order & disrespectful chants, as he’s spent years ignoring respectful concerns. An unfortunate lesson here to anyone who wants to instigate a response & even change
@mattyfromle: Really hope this is the start of Top’s redemption arc. #lcfc
@WTFox1884: Summary of Top’s message: Behind the word salad of buzzwords and repetitive language… He holds his hands up & states mistakes have been made & he’s failed to communicate & keep the club united. This is day 1 of a fresh start. Do I believe him? Unsure. Time will tell #lcfc
@FoxBristol69728: He had to, was losing the fans and support and a whole legacy, credit he’s going to come out and address it. Well done Top, better late than never. #lcfc
@Jakebroadwell2: Khun Top addressing the fans today is gonna be massive for him! He clearly knows a change is needed & if it does this the fans can actually get on board with him & start to look for the future 🦊 #LCFC
@Ryanlcfc2: Finally at last, a change in structure set to happen. Rudkin set to move upstairs with technical director (even paying compensation) set to be appointed that weakens Rudkin’s power. Huge positive news for first time in quite sometime. Finally Top making positive steps. #LCFC 🦊
Leicester issue statement as fan groups condemn hateful chanting towards club hierarchy
