Leicester City

Leicester City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha denies player input

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 14 March 2017

Leicester City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha denies that Claudio Ranieri was sacked as head coach of the Foxes under the orders of senior players at the club.

Leicester City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has firmly denied suggestions that Claudio Ranieri was sacked as head coach of the Foxes under the orders of senior players at the club.

Leicester parted with Ranieri in February, despite the fact that the Italian had led the club to a spectacular Premier League title last season.

It was reported that input from senior players played a key role in Ranieri losing his job, but Srivaddhanaprabha has insisted that the decision to change managers was made at board level and with the view to fighting off the threat of relegation.

"Not a chance. The news that some players come in and ask the owner to fire the manager - impossible. If you run the business you should understand that, if employees or a director come and ask if you will fire that manager - if I'm that kind of owner - that's lame. They talk about this because they just don't have anything else to pick on us," Srivaddhanaprabha told reporters.

"We want to ensure that we're 100% staying [in the Premier League], but his new method (changing tactics) to improve the team was not working. Players don't understand how to play and need time to adjust. The results were not what this town and also the world were expecting.

"I spoke since last year that Leicester could be in relegation battle this season because this is football, always uncertain. But certainly I made this team to be 'a team' and try to make it the best.

"We knew that some change will shock the players and lead them to fight more. In my view, the manager has to rely on his results. Some were champions last year, then ended up sixth and got fired."

Craig Shakespeare, who has been appointed Leicester's head coach until the end of the season, has overseen back-to-back 3-1 wins over Liverpool and Hull City in the Premier League.