A sex tape of a racially charged orgy in a Bangkok hotel was a public relations catastrophe for Thai-owned Leicester City, but it proved an unlikely turning point in their journey to the top of the English Premier League.
The offending video featured three young players including James Pearson, son of then-manager Nigel Pearson, engaging in explicit acts with a group of Thai women in a Bangkok hotel.
Filmed by the players, the footage of the sniggering men was soon revealed by the British tabloid press, shocking the public with the players’ crude remarks, including calling one of the Thai women a “slit-eye.”
Photo: Reuters
While the sex tape caused outrage, it also ushered in a new era for Leicester as it paved the way for the arrival of manager Claudio Ranieri, who has taken the club to the brink of the Premier League title.
After the scandal in May last year, the players were promptly sacked and pressure mounted on Pearson — a manager who already had a bruising relationship with the British press.
At the start of July last year, Pearson also exited due to what the club simply described as “fundamental differences in perspective.”
Critics lined up to condemn the owners, billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt, also known as “Top,” for a decision that came after Pearson had steered the team from the bottom of the table to 14th.
Former star striker Gary Lineker at the time said Person’s sacking showed that the Thai owners “clearly don’t know what they’re doing.”
However, a fortnight later the experienced Italian Ranieri arrived, to little fanfare, and quietly set to work on what would become a stunning season.
“The hotel incident brought the hero,” said Satit “Bigjah” Krikul, Thailand’s best known television soccer pundit, referring to Ranieri’s appointment. “Of course the incident damaged the reputation of the Leicester team and affected Thailand a bit... but it is Thai style that this kind of news blows over.”
The owners have stayed silent on the sex scandal and even Bangkok’s police, who had threatened to prosecute the women involved for indecency, now say they have no record of the incident.
Despite Thailand’s raunchy nightlife and reputation, sex is a taboo subject in what remains a largely conservative country.
When asked if the club would return for a triumphant Thai tour this year, Top replied with a terse, “No.”
The genial Ranieri immediately presented a calmer, kinder face to the public and brought a wealth of top-level soccer experience.
He inherited a team on a good run, bolstered the squad with some shrewd signings and embarked on the unlikeliest of title charges.
At the start of this season the Foxes were widely tipped for relegation, with British bookmakers offering 5,000-1 odds against a league victory.
One of Ranieri’s first tasks was to issue a heavy fine to striker Jamie Vardy, who was caught on camera calling an Asian man a “Jap” three times at a casino.
Vardy’s “mistake” was forgiven by Ranieri, and he went on to power this year’s title bid with 22 league goals.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS