English football club shows support for Carolina Panthers

Ahead of their playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, the Carolina Panthers are getting the support of another far-away professional team.

England’s Leicester City Football Club (that would be soccer, of course) sent customized jerseys to linebacker Luke Kuechly, quarterback Cam Newton, cornerback Josh Norman and kicker Graham Gano this week.

Leicester City, which is in second place in Barclay’s Premier League, on Friday compared its surprising success to that of the Panthers, which boasts the best record in the NFL. The Foxes, as Leicester City is called, ended 2015 “at the top of the table for the first time in the club’s history.”

Both teams have become “the most feared teams” in their respective leagues through hard work and ability, Leicester City said.

“From one underdog to another, Keep Pounding, Carolina,” the club said in a post Friday.

Norman and Gano showed their support for their overseas fans by wearing the blue jerseys in the locker room Thursday.

“Me and the lads wish them all the best for Sunday against Seattle. It’d be great to see them make the Superbowl,” Leicester City left-back and NFL fan Christian Fuchs said.

Katherine Peralta

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 4:26 PM.