- Title: Spanish federation boss Villar resigns from UEFA
- Date: 27th July 2017
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (JULY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POLICE CAR CARRYING ARRESTED HEAD OF THE SPANISH SOCCER FEDERATION, ANGEL MARIA VILLAR, ARRIVING AT HEADQUARTERS OF THE SPANISH SOCCER FEDERATION VARIOUS OF VILLAR WALKING TOWARDS BUILDING ESCORTED BY POLICE VILLAR INSIDE BUILDING SEEN THROUGH HALF-OPEN DOOR
- Embargoed: 10th August 2017 10:17
- Keywords: Soccer Spain Villar Corruption resign Executive
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RHQXBZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Suspended Spanish football federation boss Angel Maria Villar has resigned as vice-president and an executive committee member of UEFA, European soccer's governing body said on Thursday (July 27).
Villar, his son Gorka and two other football federation executives were detained on July 18 on allegations of collusion, embezzlement and falsifying documents. He was denied bail.
Villar, also a senior vice-president of global soccer body FIFA, has denied all the allegations.
FIFA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
"Angel Maria Villar (has) tendered his resignation as Vice President of UEFA and member of the UEFA Executive Committee with immediate effect," UEFA said in a statement sent to Reuters.
"Following his resignation, Villar will no longer have any official functions at our organisation."
UEFA said its president, Aleksander Ceferin, had accepted Villar's resignation and had thanked him for his many years of service to European football.
"In view of the ongoing court proceedings in Spain, we have no further comments to make on this matter," the statement said.
Villar, a former Athletic Bilbao and Spain midfielder, had headed the Spanish federation for 29 years and was re-elected for an eighth term in May.
It has named Juan Luis Larrea as its interim president after Villar was suspended by the state sports body, the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), on Tuesday.
Villar had been a member of the UEFA executive committee since 1992 and ran for the presidency last year but later withdrew his candidacy. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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