REP. Mikee Romero (1 Pacman Party-list) felt like he lost a 'big brother' following the tragic death of Thai duty-free billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
“I lost a great brother, sobrang close ko dun,” said Romero after officials confirmed that Vichai was among those who died after his helicopter crashed outside Leicester's stadium on Saturday in England after a Premier League game.
While the enigmatic Thai billionaire was into football and Romero is into basketball, both share one passion – the love for polo.
Romero recalled that he played several times with Vitchai (who owns VR Polo Club) and sons Aiyawatt and Apichet in Bangkok (King Power), and was touched by how they treated him.
“Grabe , I felt like I was also a royalty during the times I played there,” said Romero. “Polo and football players all over the world are mourning the death of one of the sport’s pillars.”
Vichai became a global celebrity following the fairytale success of Leicester City in the Premier League in 2016.
Despite 5 million to 1 odds, Leicester City persevered to win the world’s richest football league by tallying 81 points – beating traditional powers like Arsenal (71), Manchester United (66), Manchester City (66) and Chelsea (50).
“We in the polo community were ecstatic following his success of Vichai in the Premier League. That’s was huge,” Romero, who owns the NorthPort team in the PBA.
Romero remains confident that the death of Vichai won’t derail the growth of polo in the South East Asian region, saying his sons are going to carry the torch.