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FOOTBALL

Prosecutors arrest Swiss club Xamax’s owner

Prosecutors on Thursday said they arrested the owner of Swiss football club Neuchatel Xamax, Chechen businessman Bulat Chagaev, after the team filed for bankruptcy.

Chagaev was taken into custody by Geneva cantonal prosecutor Yves Bertossa.

His provisional arrest was ordered after a hearing held Thursday afternoon.

Another hearing was scheduled for Friday, the justice department prosecutor’s office said, explaining that he was remanded for mismanagement but that it would not comment further.

Chagaev’s lawyer Jacques Barillon said in a statement there were insufficient grounds to detain his client and that he would seek bail for him on Friday.

In filing for bankruptcy the club’s board said in a statement it made the decision due to the withdrawal of the club’s licence and its financial situation.

“The board also decided to immediately release the players from their obligations,” it said.

Chagaev said in separate statement made before his arrest he would submit an explanation for the decision to Geneva canton prosecutor Bertossa.

Xamax were left out of this week’s Swiss Super League’s championship race due to Chagaev’s actions, the SFL said on January 18th.

Chagaev, 51, bought Xamax in May 2011 from its former president Sylvio Bernasconi, for an estimated 1.2 million francs (one million euros).

Among the accusations he faces are failing to pay his players for several months and not paying payroll taxes.

The disciplinary committee of the SFL also cited a probe into allegations Chagaev submitted a falsified bank document to prove his solvency during a bankruptcy trial.

The action was the latest in a series of actions taken by the football authorities against the club.

Last month, the SFL docked Xamax four points for breaches of licensing rules and reported the club to its disciplinary committee.

In November it imposed a fine of 20,000 francs for failing to provide “information and financial documents” following Chagaev’s takeover.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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