Sports tribunal reduces sentence against Swiss football club manager
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced the sanctions imposed by the Swiss Football League (SFL) against Christian Constantin, the owner and president of football club FC Sion. He had physically attacked a television consultant last September.
In its judgement on Friday, CAS cut his nine-month sentence to five months which means he could potentially watch his team play in Basel on March 18. However, he will have to pay the fine of CHF30,000 ($32,038) imposed by the SFL Board of Appeal in December. Overall, the flamboyant and temperamental manager got off relatively lightly considering the original sanctions handed down by the SFL: The Disciplinary Committee originally wanted a suspension of 14 months and a fine of CHF100,000.
Constantin physically assaulted Rolf Fringer, former manager of the national men’s football team and now a consultant for a television station, on September 21 pitch side in Lugano. Fringer had written a critical article on the FC Sion owner who later wanted to “settle scores”.
Le président du FC Sion Christian Constantin risque gros pour avoir frappé un consultant sportif qui l'avait critiqué pic.twitter.com/ivDo1BGMf8External link
— RTSinfo (@RTSinfo) September 22, 2017External link
After former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Constantin is one of canton Valais’s best-known locals. He has rallied significant support for the Sion 2026 Winter Olympics project, for which the government agreed to pledge almost CHF1 billion.
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Owner of Swiss football club contests disciplinary action
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