Angel Maria Villar is standing to be UEFA President, having held the position on an interim basis after Michel Platini’s ex-communication.
Villar ascended to the office when Platini was barred earlier in 2016 and on Tuesday confirmed he wanted the role on a full-time basis, and would be the first Spaniard to officially hold the position if he won the election.
AS however notes that the favourite of FIFA President Gianni Infantino is Slovenia’s Aleksander Ceferin, a lawyer specialising in sporting matters, who claims to already have 13 of the 55 UEFA members on his side.
Michael van Praag, President of Ajax and the Dutch Football Federation, is also in the running, and it’s suggested late nominations for England’s David Gill, Serbia’s Ivan Corkovic, Poland’s Zibi Bonkiek or Croatia’s Davor Suker could appear, though the deadline is Wednesday.
Villar, the long-serving President of the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] would have to give up his domestic post after 28 years if he was elected by UEFA, and it’s said by AS Villar would want Luis Rubiales, President of the players’ union, the AFE, to succeed him.
Jorge Perez stands in opposition to Villar and has the support of Javier Tebas, the President of La Liga, and Miguel Galan is also to be a candidate in the as-yet-unscheduled elections, though they have to take place in the last quarter of 2016.
It’s also pointed out by AS that the regional Presidents don’t support Villar’s candidate Rubiales, and would instead prefer Marcelino Mate, President of the Castille and Leon Federation.
If Villar was to lose the UEFA election, then it is expected he would stand for re-election as the head of the RFEF.
