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Leeds United’s chair, Paraag Marathe, has outlined his desire to see the club become “one of the best in all of Europe” during their open-top bus parade to celebrate promotion to the Premier League.
Leeds city centre came to a standstill on Monday as Daniel Farke’s side took to the streets to celebrate with more than 150,000 of their supporters. Leeds returned to the top-flight after a two-year absence and Marathe declared their bold ambitions from one of three parading buses.
“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.”
City-centre streets in Leeds were closed at 8am and supporters gathered hours before the players’ bus began its crawl down Wellington Street at 1pm towards the City Square and then along the Headrow to the town hall. The short route took almost two hours as fans lined the streets, gathered on balconies, climbed trees and scaled lamp-posts and traffic lights to gain a better vantage point.
Both Leeds and Burnley finished on 100 points – the first time two Championship sides have hit the landmark in the same season – but Leeds’ superior goal difference saw them claim the winners’ trophy.
Leeds last secured promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020. That came during pandemic – the final nine games were played behind closed doors – and success under Farke is the first time Leeds have celebrated promotion with their fans since 1990.
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