July 27 – Controversial Spanish FA president Angel Maria Villar Llona says he plans to seek re-election at home later this year if he fails in his bid to become UEFA president.
Villar has been acting head of European football since October 2015, when Michel Platini was suspended from all football-related activities for six years – later reduced to four – for ethics violations.
Last week Villar announced his intention to stand in the UEFA elections on September 14 to replace Platini. Slovenian Aleksandar Ceferin and Dutchman Michael van Praag will also contest the presidency.
“I’m standing for UEFA president because the majority of the European federations have asked me to,” Villar, who has been president of the RFEF since 1988, said on Tuesday following a meeting with referees.
“If I don’t win or I pull out, which I don’t believe will happen, I will stand for re-election of the RFEF.”
RFEF general secretary Jorge Perez is among other candidates for the Spanish vote, which is expected to take place after the UEFA election.
Villar, also a FIFA vice-president, was fined CHF 25,000 by FIFA’s Ethics Committee in 2015 for failing to cooperate with their investigation into the contests to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Nevertheless, he said he was confident of winning enough support from among UEFA’s 55 members.
“I have taken this step (to run) because I have sufficient support to win,” he said.
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