From Cardiff getting Tanned to Thais delivering the title to Leicester: the very mixed fortunes of five Asian-owned English clubs

We examine the varying fortunes of five other Asian-owned English football clubs, following Aston Villa’s £60 million sale to Chinese businessman Tony Xia Jiantong

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Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (left) and vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha parade the Premier League title with manager Claudio Ranieri in a rare example of a successful Asian ownership model in the EPL. Photo: EPA

Published: 11:45am, 15 Jun 2016Updated: 1:32pm, 15 Jun 2016

Here we examine the varying fortunes of five other Asian-owned English football clubs, following Aston Villa’s £60 million (HK$658.1 million) sale to Chinese businessman Tony Xia Jiantong was confirmed on Tuesday:

Leicester City – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (Thailand)

Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha finally enjoyed success after purchasing the Foxes in 2010 as they secured an unlikely Premier League title last season. Photo: EPA

The biggest success story among Asian owners, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha presided over the greatest rags to riches fairy tale in the history of football when his 5,000-1 shots sealed the Premier League title earlier this month. After paying £39 million for the club in 2010, Thailand’s King Power duty-free shopping magnate has earned a reputation as a quiet, shrewd investor who has eschewed controversy. “We are a small team and I spent small money,” he said at a team reception in Bangkok recently. “We are like a family, I treat everyone in the team like my family.”

Watch: Leicester City parade their English Premier League title in Bangkok

Cardiff City – Vincent Tan (Malaysia)

Cardiff City’s owner made headlines when he ditched his club’s traditional blue kit in favour of a red one claiming red is a luckier colour in his native Malaysia. Photo: Reuters