Xamax lose Swiss League licence
The Swiss Football League has withdrawn with immediate effect the licence of Neuchâtel Xamax.
The league said in a statement on Wednesday that Xamax had committed “serious violations” of its obligations.
The league’s disciplinary commission ruled that Xamax’s owners failed to provide documents relating to a change of ownership, when Chechen businessman Bulat Chagaev took over last May.
The league also suspects Xamax of providing fraudulent bank statements intended to prove that Chagaev could finance the club – documents which have also put Chagaev at the centre of a Swiss criminal investigation.
Furthermore, the players have not been paid for November or December. The club also owes rent and tax to the city of Neuchatel.
Xamax later announced that it is to appeal. In a brief interview on French language television news, Chagayev accused the league of bias and threatened legal action.
The club, until Wednesday fourth in the ten-team top division, is next scheduled to play on February 4 at home to Lausanne Sport when matches resume after the winter break.
The players are currently training in Dubai and are due to return on January 27.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.