Paraag Marathe makes huge claim about Leeds United’s future with a view to be ‘one of the best in all of Europe’.
Paraag Marathe, Leeds United chair, has outlined his desire to see the club become “one of the best in all of Europe”.
The open-top bus parade honouring the team’s promotion to the Premier League was well received by the crowd.
As Daniel Farke’s team celebrated in the streets on Monday with over 150,000 of their supporters, Leeds city centre came to a complete halt. Marathe announced their audacious goals from one of three parading buses as Leeds made their comeback to the top division following a two-year hiatus.
“I don’t think anyone realised, this wasn’t fucking easy,” said Marathe, whose 49ers Enterprises completed a full takeover of the club in July 2023. “This was really hard to do. Two years of getting to this point, but all that hard work and all that difficulty, makes right now that much more rewarding and makes today so special. I hope I never forget this moment. I want to live in this moment as much as I can.
“This is a journey, this is not the end. We have to keep going, this is what Leeds does. We are going to have some difficulties, but we are going to get where we want to go and we are going to be one of the best clubs in all of Europe.”
Supporters gathered hours before the players’ bus started crawling down Wellington Street at 1pm towards the City Square and then along the Headrow to the town hall. Leeds’ city centre streets were closed at 8am. Fans lined the streets, gathered on balconies, climbed trees, and scaled lampposts and traffic lights to have a better view throughout the nearly two-hour journey.
Burnley and Leeds both finished with 100 points, marking the first time two Championship teams have achieved the feat in the same season. However, Leeds won the winners’ trophy due to their better goal differential.
Under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds last won promotion to the Premier League in 2020. The remaining nine games were played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Leeds’ triumph under Farke marks the first time since 1990 that they have celebrated promotion to the top division of England with their supporters.