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Sion president given stadium ban after slap

October 12, 2017

Christian Constantin, president of Swiss football club FC Sion, has been handed a stadium ban and a large fine. Constantin attacked a TV commentator after a Swiss league match in September.

https://p.dw.com/p/2lhWn
Christian Constantin
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Keystone/L. Gillieron

The Swiss football league (SFL) on Monday handed a 14-month stadium ban and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (around €86,700) to Christian Constantin for attacking Swiss television commentator Rolf Fringer after a game against FC Lugano on September 21.

The ban includes admission to the stadium, the playing field, the technical area, the team dressing roum and the mixed zone. It applies to all games in the Swiss first and second division as well as the Swiss Cup and national team games.

"The violent behaviour of Christian Constantin against Rolf Fringer, which [Constantin] doesn't deny, is clearly a violation of the rules of conduct", the SFL's disciplinary committee said in a statement.

The FC Sion president had announced in September that he intended to file a slander lawsuit against Fringer. He also said after the incident that he did not regret his actions.

"It is not nice when you have a go at someone, but I cannot say I regret it," Constantin said at the time.

Schweiz Fussball Trainer Rolf Fringer
Swiss TV commentator Rolf FringerImage: picture alliance/KEYSTONE/U. Flueeler

Fringer, a former coach of the Swiss national team and German club Stuttgart, has denied insulting Constantin personally during a previous broadcast, when he described Constantin's leadership of FC Sion as "ridiculous." Fringer also intends to take legal action.

Constantin, 60, has already said he would temporarily step down as vice president of the bid committee planning to bring the 2026 Winter Olympics to Sion.

dv/mf (dpa, SID)