Lugano football president found dead

Football boss Helios Jermini was found dead on Thursday Keystone

The president of Lugano football club, Helios Jermini, has been found dead in his car.

Ticino police said they discovered the body of the 63-year-old in his luxury Audi sedan in Lake Lugano near the town of Brusino on Thursday. There were no immediate details on the cause of his death.

The police were alerted when the wealthy real estate millionaire and financier was reported missing on Tuesday, after he failed to show up for a scheduled business meeting in the Italian city of Milan.

Jermini was reported to have set off alone for the meeting in his car – a journey, the financier usually makes with a chauffeur.

On Thursday afternoon a villager contacted the police after he had found Jermini’s car in the lake near Brusino-Arsizio, a border village with a population of less than 500.

Speculations

It is still unclear why Jermini stopped in Brusino-Arsizio on his way to Milan and earlier speculations that he had been kidnapped have now given way to increasing doubt.

The police said they found no skid marks at the site of the accident, which adds fuel to the theory that he might have committed suicide.

Questions have also been raised about whether the death of the father of four could be related to the poor financial health of the club, which carries debts of SFr10.5 million ($6.25 million).

The debt was taken over last year by a Liechtenstein company – Football and Sport Financial Ltd – co-owned by Jermini.

The club has also been subject to complaints over recent years about a lack of financial transparency.

In a press release the FC Lugano announced that all matches scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled. The FC Lugano was due to play against the FC Sion.

swissinfo with agencies