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LONDON. — A sweep of the Press room before Leicester City’s recent victory over Swansea City confirmed the extent to which their pursuit of English Premier League soccer glory has captivated global audiences. Journalists from as far afield as Finland, Turkey, South Korea and Australia mingled in the queue for a pre-match meal, while a 10-strong Japanese contingent sat around a table discussing how Shinji Okazaki would fare in the absence of his suspended strike partner Jamie Vardy.

The team that narrowly avoided relegation last season are now just three points from the league title and their Cinderella story has won them admirers in the most unlikely locations. “Last season, no-one really wrote about Leicester in the US and no-one really talked about them,” says Joe Prince-Wright, the lead soccer writer for American broadcasting giant NBC.

“This season it’s been incredible — people like (New England Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady and NFL players have been sending them messages.

“All of a sudden there’s this clamour to latch onto the underdog story. The American public love an underdog story.

“Most people haven’t got a team (to support) yet, but we get pictures from people on a tractor in some small town in the middle of the US and they’ve got a Leicester shirt or a Leicester scarf and they’re following the Foxes.” — AFP.