The story of Leicester City’s remarkable 2015–16 Premier League title win has been told countless times — a 5000-1 miracle powered by grit, unity, and the brilliant simplicity of Claudio Ranieri’s football philosophy.
But what many fans forget is that the club’s historic season began with one of the most embarrassing scandals in Premier League history: a leaked sex tape that sent shockwaves through the club, triggered the dismissal of Nigel Pearson, and inadvertently set the stage for Ranieri’s legendary run.
Ranieri ultimately stole the headlines as he guided Leicester to an astonishing title win — losing only three games all season and finishing 10 points clear of Arsenal.
However, the foundation of that squad was laid by his predecessor, Nigel Pearson, who had assembled key figures like Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Wes Morgan, Marc Albrighton, and Danny Drinkwater.
But Pearson would never manage that group into the title-winning season.
Instead, his Leicester tenure came to an abrupt end following a scandal that erupted just weeks after the club completed a dramatic relegation escape.
At the end of the 2014–15 campaign, Pearson believed he had secured his future. Leicester were seven points adrift of safety with nine games left — yet somehow won seven of them to survive.
It was one of the Premier League’s greatest escapes.
The relief in Pearson’s post-match comments was palpable:
“When you consider our plight… to go into the final game with our safety assured is quite an unbelievable achievement.”
But just as Leicester looked ready for stability, everything collapsed.
After the season, Leicester travelled to Thailand for a goodwill tour meant to strengthen ties with the late Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the local community.
Instead, it spiraled into a nightmare.
On May 31, 2015, the Daily Mirror revealed footage of three Leicester academy players — Tom Hopper, Adam Smith, and James Pearson (Nigel’s son) — engaging in explicit acts with Thai women in a hotel room, recording the encounter, and sending the video to friends in the UK.
Worse still, the footage contained racist insults directed at the women.
As the video spread online, outrage erupted across Britain.
What was meant to be a goodwill tour had become a global embarrassment.
The Mirror described the incident as a “racist orgy”, and the details were deeply disturbing.
The players were seen:
Cheering and mocking the women
Using racial slurs
Rating the women’s appearance in degrading language
Ending the recording by high-fiving each other
The backlash was immediate.
Grace Dent of The Independent wrote:
“That isn’t about sex, it’s about power… It’s about treating women like a sub-species… and using racist words against them.”
It was clear: apologies were not going to be enough.
Leicester launched an internal investigation, and soon after, all three players were sacked.
But the scandal caused lasting damage — especially with the club’s Thai ownership.
Less than a month later, on June 30, 2015, Nigel Pearson was dismissed.
The official reason stated that “the working relationship between the board and Nigel was no longer viable.”
But privately, it was understood that the scandal involving his son had irreparably fractured trust.
Pearson later admitted the decision was a “big shock,” but by then, the club had already moved on.
Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri — a decision criticized at the time — but one that would lead to the greatest underdog story in Premier League history.
Without the scandal, Pearson may have stayed.
Without Pearson’s exit, Ranieri might never have arrived.
And without Ranieri, Leicester may never have produced the fairytale season that captured the world’s imagination.
Football, as always, writes its greatest stories in the strangest ways.
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