It is an unprecedented shock in English football: ten years after winning the most unlikely title in the Premier League, Leicester City has been relegated to the third tier of English football, League One. This dramatic fall marks a historic moment for a club that, in 142 years, had only spent one season in this lower category.
Leicester, which in 2016 surprised the world by becoming Premier League champions with odds of 5,000-1, needed a crucial victory last Tuesday to keep alive the hope of avoiding relegation. However, the 2-2 draw against Hull City confirmed the inevitable fate: relegation to League One, finishing the season second from bottom in the Championship, the second tier of English football.
This brutal decline comes just three years after the Midlands club won the FA Cup in 2021, a feat that seemed to cement its presence in the elite of English football. The impact of the relegation is even more severe due to the heavy six-point penalty imposed on the club in February for breaching financial rules of the English Football League during its promotion in the 2023-24 season. Leicester’s attempt to overturn this sanction was rejected, definitively burying its hopes of remaining in the Championship.
In an emotional message to fans, the club president, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, took full responsibility for the crisis. “There are no excuses. We have experienced the highest moments and now the lowest, and the pain is felt by all of us. I apologize for the disappointment we have caused,” stated the Leicester leader, promising a firm response and a rebuilding plan to restore the club’s prestige.
Leicester’s drop to the third division represents a colossal financial loss, as television revenues plummet drastically as clubs move down the English football pyramid. While Premier League clubs earn an average of $422 million, Championship teams make about a quarter of that, and in League One, the average falls to just $12.2 million, according to Deloitte data for the 2023-24 season.
The club, which fought against relegation in the Premier League during the 2014-15 season only to later achieve a sensational victory that led to the title, now faces the toughest challenge in its recent history: rising from the ashes and competing at the highest level again. Leicester had previously spent a season in the third division in 2008-09, when it won the League One title and was promoted to the Championship, but the current fall seems even more dramatic.
The future of Leicester City is now in limbo, with the team and management preparing the groundwork for a triumphant return. Srivaddhanaprabha made it clear: “Our focus is on what comes 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 goal is clear — to respond with strength and compete to take this club forward again.”
This is a moment of bitter reflection for Foxes fans, who watch their club transition from heroes of English football to fighters for survival in the lower divisions. Leicester’s story, a true rollercoaster of emotions, is far from over, and the football world will be watching to see how this fallen giant will rise again.
This article first appeared on Apito Final.
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