Conferences to celebrate 100 years of Neuchâtel Xamax

To celebrate the centenary of Neuchatel Xamax Football Club, various conferences have been organized by the Museum of Art and History in the City of Neuchâtel. The events are in collaboration with the University of Neuchâtel and CIES. The sessions, carried out mainly in the form of round tables, will allow different experts and the public to discuss various issues related to the glorious past of the red and black club and future challenges that lie ahead.

The second conference, "Coming from Africa", will be held on 18 October. This will be an opportunity to focus on the different trajectories of African players at Neuchatel via interventions by historian and geographer Julien Beuret and former Xamax player Augustine Simo.

The epic 1980s will meanwhile be remembered in a roundtable session on 26 October. The roundtable will include a wide range of guests, including Mr Gilbert Facchinetti, current president of central Neuchâtel Xamax, Gilbert Gress, former coach and Robert Lei Ravello, former xamaxien.

On November 22, sports historian Paul Dietschy will host the conference "Why play football?", while on 14 December, CIES Scientific Collaborator Roger Besson will present his research on the integral role of football stadiums in the case of the Maladière which is emblematic of soccer in Neuchâtel.

The lecture series will conclude on 10 January with a discussion of professional football in Switzerland which will be moderated by Christian Binggeli, current president of Neuchâtel Xamax, Edmond Isoz, Senior Manager at the Swiss Football League and Philippe Perret, current coach of FC Biel.

Throughout the duration of the event, an exhibition will be offered by the Museum of Art and History in the City of Neuchâtel. Recounting the highlights of the red and black club, many official documents, photographs and other objects from the private collection of Mr. Gilbert Facchinetti will be presented for the first time in public.