Villar suspended from Spanish Football Federation functions
The CSD executive committee decided on suspending RFEF executives, after the Spanish administrative sports tribunal opened disciplinary proceedings.
Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Ángel Maria Villar, who is in custody following his arrest on corruption charges, was suspended for a year on Tuesday by the country's Superior Sports Ministry (CSD).
The suspension was decided during a meeting of the CSD executive committee in Madrid, after the Spanish administrative sports tribunal opened disciplinary proceedings against Villar. The decision can be reviewed..
Villar's replacement is expected to be announced on Wednesday when the RFEF holds its General Assembly. The 67-year-old, who is also a senior vice president of FIFA, and his son Gorka were detained by police on 18 July in a series of early morning raids at the Federation headquarters in Las Rozas, Madrid and other sites as part of a fraud probe launched last year.
Also arrested were the federation's financial vice-president Juan Padrón and Ramón Hernández Baussou, General Secretary of the Tenerife Federation – both of whom have also been suspended. They face charges including falsifying documents, misappropriation of funds, collusion and administrative breaches linked to skimming profits from international friendly games and channelling the funds to Gorka Villar.
A Madrid court ordered Villar and his son Gorka to be held in custody on Thursday without bail following their arrest. High Court judge Santiago Pedraz said there was a significant risk that the two men could make an attempt to flee the country given the seriousness of the crimes they are accused of and the 'huge financial means' which they have.