Leicester City has "been crowned Premier League champions in one of the most remarkable upsets in sporting history after Tottenham Hotspur failed to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge," according to Alexandra Sims of the London INDEPENDENT. The two sides drew 2-2 Monday evening, "giving a remarkable victory to the Foxes" after the club started out as 5,000-1 outsiders for the EPL title. Many experts "predicted Leicester would be relegated this year." Leicester spent last season "languishing at the bottom of the table," leading its victory to be described as a "fairytale" win and "the most unlikely triumph in the history of team sport." Former England and Leicester striker Gary Lineker called the result, "The biggest sporting shock of my lifetime," while Leicester South's Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth said, "What a team, what a manager, what a way to make history." The Leicester City team gathered to watch the match at Jamie Vardy’s house, which saw "chaotic celebrations" after the win with the players piling on top of each other chanting, "Champions! Champions!" (INDEPENDENT, 5/2). In N.Y., Andrew Das wrote Leicester City "capped one of the most remarkable seasons" in football history without kicking a ball on Monday. The results "sparked delirious, beer-soaked celebrations in Leicester, where fans gathered in pubs and restaurants to watch Monday’s match and then poured into the streets when it was over." A video posted to the Twitter account of defender Christian Fuchs showed the team "roaring and dancing at the final whistle" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/2). In London, Alyson Rudd wrote the story has already "captured the imagination of the film industry and casting has already begun for a biopic of Vardy," who, on Monday, was voted the Football Writers’ Association player of the season (LONDON TIMES, 5/3)
GLOBAL BOOST: The BBC's Bill Wilson reported analysts at sports data and marketing firm Repucom said that Leicester City is set for a potential £150M ($220M) "boost for winning the Premier League title." The sum "comprises Premier League prize money, Champions League participation cash, and increased match day revenues from ticket and hospitality sales." The Foxes will also "enjoy a higher valuation of sponsorship assets, and a growth in fan bases globally." Repucom Head of Consulting Spencer Nolan said that adding fans worldwide remained "central to realising the club's full potential as a commercial entity" (BBC, 5/2).
RANIERI SILENCES SKEPTICS: In London, Owen Gibson wrote Lineker last summer received the news that veteran Italian Claudio Ranieri "had been appointed to take charge of a side that narrowly escaped relegation the previous season" by saying, "Claudio Ranieri? Really?" Now the "charming 64-year-old has masterminded perhaps the greatest fairytale in sporting history, proving a battalion of doubters wrong and winning not only the undying gratitude of all those in Leicester but admiration and no little love from around the world." Another former Leicester striker, Tony Cottee, said that "he was astonished." At the time of Ranieri's hire, beneath a "sceptical Guardian blog, perhaps the politest of a slew of comments" was simply, "Gone by Christmas." In truth, "the Italian’s CV is studded with huge achievement but undercut by a series of near-misses and a sense he has tended to lay the foundations for others to claim the credit." No longer (GUARDIAN, 5/2).
