Top Srivaddhanaprabha says King Power expansion on hold while Leicester are outside Premier League | OneFootball

Leicester City’s King Power Stadium expansion is on hold, with chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha saying the project should be revisited when the club are back in the Premier League. He was speaking in his first interview with British media in 10 years.

According to LeicesterMercury.co.uk, City intend to lift capacity to 40,000 by rebuilding the east stand and redeveloping the site with a hotel, an indoor entertainment arena, a flagship club shop and a residential block.

The scheme was unveiled in 2021. Full planning approval arrived in December 2023, giving City until December 2028 to start work or face the proposal being revisited by the council. A September 2024 update said nothing would begin before 2026, and there are still no immediate plans.

“I think we are pending,” Top said. “It would not have been nice to have a 40,000-seater stadium in the Championship.”

“I think we need to be in the Premier League first and then we can revisit the plan again. It is not easy to build now, with the fans not being happy.”

City’s average attendance topped 30,000 in each of the previous 11 seasons, but has dipped just below that this year. The official average is 29,673, a tickets-sold measure, and several matches have appeared lower with some season-ticket holders not taking their seats.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk