May 18 – He was among the biggest kingpins in European football – a FIFA and UEFA vice-president – and even for a time stood as interim UEFA president.
But the days – make that three decades – of Angel Maria Villar, for years regarded as untouchable, are finally over after the Spanish football federation (RFEF) elected a new president to run their affairs.
The ballot was supposed to have taken place earlier this year but was switched to May. The new man at the helm is Luis Rubiales, a kind of poacher turned gamekeeper having once been the firebrand head of the Spanish players’ union.
Villar was forced to step down last year following corruption charges after running the federation since 1988. He had been arrested on suspicion of improper management, misappropriation of funds, corruption and falsifying documents.
In the ballot to succeed Villar, Rubiales, a former Levante player, polled 80 votes to the 56 mustered by former Juan Luis Larrea, who was treasurer during Villar’s 29-year rule and had been acting as interim president.
Rubliales will hold the post until after Euro 2020, the date for fresh elections. he says his priority is to improve refereeing and plan a major audit to gauge the true extent of the federation’s finances.
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