Gilbert Facchinetti

Gilbert Facchinetti (28 January 1936 – 6 July 2018) was an Italian-Swiss entrepreneur, best known as president of Neuchâtel Xamax.

Biography Facchinetti was born in Lausanne, Switzerland to a family from Italy. After a butcher's apprenticeship, he played at Servette FC and later received an offer from Genoa, with a salary of 6,000 Swiss francs per month. When his uncle died, Facchinetti was pushed by his father to enter the family business, which was an architectural firm. He played one last match in the national league in 1969 with FC Cantonal Neuchâtel.

A man of speech, Facchinetti signed his contracts with a handshake until two players ask him for large sums without respecting the handshake.

He left the executive director position of his club in 2003 to Alain Pedretti, having spent twenty-four years as the head.

Family Facchinetti's grandson, Mickaël Facchinetti, is a professional footballer.