Neuchâtel Xamax

Neuchâtel Xamax

Full name	Neuchâtel Xamax FCS
Nickname(s)	Xamax
Founded	1912, 1970, 2012, 2013
Ground	Stade de la Maladière, Neuchâtel
Capacity	12,000
Chairman	Christian Binggeli
Manager	Michel Decastel
League	Challenge League
2015–16	2nd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Stade de la Maladiere

Gilbert Gress, championship winning coach of the 1980s

Neuchâtel Xamax FCS (pronounced: [nøʃatɛl ksamaks]) is a Swiss football club, based in Neuchâtel. It was created in 1970 through a merger between FC Cantonal, founded in 1906 and Swiss champions of 1916, and FC Xamax founded in 1912. The name Xamax comes from legendary Swiss international 'Xam' Max Abegglen, one of the founding members.^[1] Xamax Neuchâtel FCS obtained its current name after a merger with FC Serrières, another side from Neuchâtel, in May 2013. The club plays its home matches at the Stade de la Maladière, which was opened in 2007 and has a capacity of 12,500 spectators.

After many financial crises, the club declared bankruptcy on 26 January 2012 and was consequently excluded from Swiss Super League.^[2] The club was reformed, but had to restart in the Swiss amateur leagues, entering the 2. Liga Interregional, the fifth tier of the Swiss football league system, for the 2012–13 season.^[3] The club finished first in 2013 and was promoted to the 1. Liga Classic for 2013–14. Once again, Xamax finished first, winning the play-off to secure a second successive promotion. Xamax finally won 1. Liga Promotion, the third tier of Swiss league system and promoted to Challenge League after making third successive promotion in 2014–15 season.

Current squad

As of 7 July, 2016. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Valmir Sallaj 4 MF Pietro Di Nardo 5 DF Kiliann Witschi 6 DF Léo Farine 7 MF Thibault Corbaz 8 FW Samir Ramizi 9 FW Dante Senger 10 MF Charles-André Doudin 11 FW Gaëtan Karlen 12 MF Max Veloso 14 MF Raphaël Nuzzolo 17 MF Adrien Zbinden

No. Position Player 19 DF Azad Odabasi 20 DF Mustafa Sejmenovic 21 MF Dilan Qelaj 23 DF Mike Gomes 29 MF Pedro Teixeira 30 GK Laurent Walthert 31 DF Abdallah Manai 33 DF Cédric Zesiger 39 FW Astor Kilezi 44 DF Agonit Sallaj 99 GK Loïc Jacot-Guillarmod

As of 1 August 2012^[4]

Honours

• Swiss Super League
  • Winner (2): 1987, 1988
• Swiss Challenge League/Ligue Nationale B
  • Winner (2): 1973, 2007
• 2. Liga Interregional
  • Winner: 2013
• 1. Liga Classic
  • Winner: 2014
• 1. Liga Promotion
  • Winner: 2015
• Swiss Super Cup
  • Winner (3): 1987, 1988, 1990

Former coaches

Giovanni Ferrari (1946–48) Fernand Jaccard (1948–52) Josef Humpál (1961–65) Milorad Milutinović (1968–69) Josef Humpál (1969–70) Paul Garbani (July 1970 – Jan 72) Josef Artimovits (Jan 1972 – July 72) Lev Mantula (July 1972 – Jan 75) Branko Rezuar (Jan 1975 – July 75) Gilbert Gress (1975–77) Antonio Merlo (July 1977 – April 78) Erich Vogel (April 1978 – Oct 79) Lev Mantula (Oct 1979 – July 80) Jean-Marc Guillou (1980–81) Gilbert Gress (1981–90) Roy Hodgson (1990–92) Uli Stielike (Jan 1992 – July 93) Uli Stielike and Don Givens (1993–94) Gilbert Gress (1994–97)

Alain Geiger (1998–02) Claude Ryf (July 2002 – Feb 04) René Lobello and Christophe Moulin (Feb 2004 – July 4) René Lobello and Gianni Della Casa (2004–05) Alain Geiger (2005) Miroslav Blažević (2005–06) Gérard Castella (June 2006 – March 8) Néstor Clausen (2008 – Jan 09) Jean-Michel Aeby (Jan 2009) Alain Geiger (Jan 2009 – June 9) Pierre-André Schürmann (June 2009 – April 10) Jean-Michel Aeby (April 2010 – Aug 10) Didier Ollé-Nicolle (Sept 2010 – May 11) Bernard Challandes (May 2011) Sonny Anderson (2011) François Ciccolini (June 2011 – July 11) Joaquín Caparrós (July 2011 – Sept 11) Víctor Muñoz (Sept 2011 – Jan 12)

European record

Season	Competition	Round	Opponents	Home	Away	Aggregate
1981–82	UEFA Cup	1R	Sparta Prague	4–0	2–3	6–3
		2R	Malmö	1–0	1–0	2–0
		3R	Sporting CP	1–0	0–0	1–0
		QF	Hamburg	0–0	2–3	2–3
1984–85	UEFA Cup	1R	Olympiacos	2–2	0–1	2–3
1985–86	UEFA Cup	1R	Sportul Studențesc	3–0	4–4	7–4
		2R	Lokomotiv Sofia	0–0	1–1	1–1 (a)
		3R	Dundee United	3–1	1–2	4–3
		QF	Real Madrid	2–0	0–3	2–3
1986–87	UEFA Cup	1R	Lyngby	2–0	3–1	5–1
		2R	Groningen	1–1	0–0	1–1 (a)
1987–88	European Cup	1R	Kuusysi	5–0	1–2	6–2
		2R	Bayern Munich	2–1	0–2	2–3
1988–89	European Cup	1R	Larissa	2–1	1–2	3–3 (3–0pks)
		2R	Galatasaray	3–0	0–5	3–5
1990–91	European Cup Winners' Cup	1R	Estrela de Amadora	1–1	1–1	2–2 (3–4pks)
1991–92	UEFA Cup	1R	Floriana	2–0	0–0	2–0
		2R	Celtic	5–1	0–1	5–2
		3R	Real Madrid	1–0	0–4	1–4
1992–93	UEFA Cup	1R	BK Frem	2–2	1–4	3–6
1995–96	UEFA Cup	1R	Red Star Belgrade	0–0	1–0	1–0
		2R	Roma	1–1	0–4	1–4
1996–97	UEFA Cup	QR	Anorthosis Famagusta	4–0	2–1	6–1
		1R	Dynamo Kyiv	2–1	0–0	2–1
		2R	Helsingborg	1–1	0–2	1–3
1997–98	UEFA Cup	Q1	Tiligul-Tiras Tiraspol	7–0	3–1	10–1
		Q2	Viking	3–0	1–2	4–2
		1R	Inter Milan	0–2	0–2	0–4
2003–04	UEFA Cup	QR	Valletta	2–0	2–0	4–0
		1R	Auxerre	0–1	0–1	0–2

References

1. "Historique : La Genèse | NEUCHÂTEL XAMAX" (in French). Xamax.ch. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
2. "Swiss club Xamax bankrupt, Chechen owner arrested - - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
3. Meisterschaft 2. Liga interregional accessed: 21 July 2012
4. 1ère Equipe – Neuchâtel Xamax 1912

External links

• (French) (German) Neuchâtel Xamax official site
• (French) Neuchâtel Xamax unofficial website
• (English) Soccerway profile