leicester city Fans demanded the club’s owners storm out and the players walked off the field after Tuesday’s 2-2 home draw against Hull City confirmed relegation to League One, exactly 10 years after the Foxes were crowned Premier League champions.
While lifting the top-flight trophy at the King Power Stadium in May 2016 counts as the Foxes’ greatest day, the 2–2 draw with Hull will go down as one of their worst as it confirmed a second consecutive relegation.
The Foxes, who slipped from the Premier League to the EFL Championship last season, have become the fifth team in a row to be relegated to the third tier.
Gary Rowett’s team briefly dreamed of a great escape as quick-fire goals from Jordan James and Luke Thomas countered Liam Miller’s opener, but Ollie McBurnie’s strike midway through the second half left Leicester City seven points adrift of safety with just two games remaining.
“The bigger picture is you’re not out in three or four games, you’re out in a season,” Rowett said after the game. “We have to learn. I think the club have to accept that this is a terrible part of the journey to being a football club.”
The draw has relegated them to the third tier for the first time since 2009 and winning the Premier League, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals and winning the FA Cup under Claudio Ranieri will seem like distant memories.
“This club won the Premier League not long ago,” Rowett said. “It was an incredible high at that time for the fans, for everyone associated with the club.
“I think everyone saw it as an amazing accomplishment. I think we can be equally disappointed by how bad this moment is.”
Supporters’ anger led to fans scolding the players on the field before the game and chanting “You don’t deserve to wear the shirt” as they left the field at the end of the match.
Leicester followed up their title win in 2015–16 with an FA Cup win in 2021. The following season, they also had successful performances in Europe and reached the semi-finals. uefa conference league.
The club were relegated to the Championship in 2022–23 before being returned directly back to the Premier League following the 2023–24 season.
However, life in the top flight in 2024–25 was far from smooth and manager Steve Cooper was sacked after 12 games. Substitute Ruud van Nistelrooy could not get them to safety and the Foxes went down again.
At the beginning of this season, the club was Six marks were deducted for violating expenditure rules.
There was a toxic atmosphere with players booing – midfielder Harry Winks was singled out – and chairman Ayyawatha Srivardhanaprabha being abused, there was no guarantee that the club would be able to bounce back straight after three years of decline.
Srivaddhanaprabha faced chants of “Get out of our club” throughout the game and after the final whistle, when supporters remained outside the field to protest.
After the game, Srivardhanaprabha released the following statement on Leicester’s social media channels: “Relegation to League One has now been confirmed. As chairman, this responsibility rests with me. There are no excuses.
“We have experienced the highest highs and now the lowest lows, and the pain is shared by all of us. I am truly sorry for the disappointment we have caused. I understand the strength of feeling among our supporters, and we do not take your support for granted, especially in moments like these.
“Our focus is now on what happens next. We will make the necessary decisions to move the club forward, working together to rebuild, improve and restore the standards expected of Leicester City. Our objective is clear – to respond strongly and compete to get this club forward again.
“We will face this head on. We will keep moving forward.”
Leicester have won only one game in their last 18 matches, and when the full-time whistle was blown the players fell to the ground knowing that they were certain to be relegated to the third tier.
In its 142 years of existence, Leicester have played only one season in the third tier of English football. It won the League One title in 2008–09 and was promoted back to the Championship.
The slide down the English football pyramid is proving costly, largely due to declining broadcasting revenues.
According to Deloitte, in the 2023–24 season, the average total revenue of League One clubs was $12.2 million, about 25% of the average revenue of Championship clubs. The average revenue of Premier League clubs that season was $422 million.
Rowett said: “If you’re a fan in today’s world, where everything from watching a game with your family is so expensive, you will be incredibly frustrated and venting your anger. The fans are showing passion and frustration. They love their football club and they deserve better than what they are seeing at the moment.
“It’s going to sting for a few days, but I’m confident that this club will bounce back and there are some big decisions to be made over the next few weeks. The club have to look at what direction they want to go. They have to be decisive about what the future should look like.
“The Championship earns prestige every year, it’s a tough league.”
Information from the Associated Press and PA was used in this report.
