Chao Khun Thongchai sits in his study, surrounded by Thailand’s women’s national volleyball team. The monk tells the women to bow their heads as he reads out incantations and prayers.
Before they leave, Thongchai passes out sacred cloths and amulets as good luck tokens for the players to take to their next tournament.
The volleyball team is the latest group to come seeking the monk’s blessings before a big match. Thongchai has made international headlines in recent weeks as the monk behind Leicester City’s miraculous run towards the English Premier League title.  
He was flown out to Leicester by the team’s Thai owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha before the season to bless the stadium and the players. He has been back several times since during big matches to offer spiritual and divine support.  
“They will win the Premiership,” Thongchai said on Monday ahead of a possible league-deciding match between Chelsea and second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. “The Manchester United game (a 1-1 draw on Sunday) was just a setback.”
“Whether its tonight and Tottenham slip up or next week, they will win the Premiership. I have foreseen it and the Thai people will have something to celebrate.”  
As Leicester sit on the verge of a Premier League triumph, Thais across the country have united under the banner of the team’s improbable success.  
“Thais like winners,” said Nareucha Pornmecha, a local taxi driver and long-suffering Liverpool fan.
“Leicester is every Thai person’s second team. They cannot be our first team because we gave our hearts away a long time ago.”  
Jo Thanapon, the owner of a local store selling knock-off jerseys and footballs, said: “We only used to sell the jerseys of the big teams.  Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, it used to be the only team jerseys that Thais would buy.”  
According to Jo, before the start of the season he could not sell a single Leicester shirt. European football has long been a part of Thailand’s sports DNA but only the most successful clubs garnered any popular support, he said.  
“Its not just that Leicester are Thai owned,” Jo said. “Thais are buying into the team because they’re successful and show what Thais can do on an international stage.”
The numbers seem to corroborate Jo’s assertion. At the start of the season, Leicester’s Thai Facebook Page numbered just in the tens of thousands. Now, two points away from glory, that number has ballooned to almost 600,000 fans.  
“I have blessed Leicester because the team will send a positive message of Thais and our abilities around the world,” said Chao Khun Thongchai, pointing towards the Leicester City emblem laid out before Buddha and Brahmin statues in his study.
“When they achieve success, it is a point of pride that Thais can point to and experience happiness.”