Xamax lose four points

The Swiss Football Association has deducted four points from Neuchâtel Xamax for failing to prove that it had paid its players.

This is the second time such a penalty has been imposed on the club, which is owned by Chechen businessman Bulat Chagaev. In December it was docked four points for violating the terms of its license.

The association said in a statement late on Tuesday that Xamax had failed to provide proof that it had paid players’ salaries and social insurance for the month of October.

Xamax can appeal the decision, as it is already doing with the previous sanction.

There has also been talk of revoking the club’s licence for serious violations of its obligations. This would mean it would drop out of the Super League when matches start again in February.

Xamax is currently fourth in the League.

Chagaev is at the centre of Swiss criminal investigations into suspected fraud regarding bank documents.

The players have not been paid for November of December either. The Tribune de Genève newspaper reported on Wednesday that as a result they were unwilling to start training again.

Several internet sites in French-speaking Switzerland reported on Wednesday that Xamax captain, Stéphane Besle, and striker Javier Arizmendi – the team’s second highest goal-scorer – had been sacked, and that two players on loan from Fiorentina had been returned to Italy.