BARCELONA, Spain (AP) With Angel Maria Villar in jail, the Spanish government is ready to step in and take control of soccer.
Spain’s sports authority is seeking the temporary removal of Villar, the longtime president of the Spanish Football Federation and FIFA’s senior vice president, after his arrest and imprisonment in an anti-corruption investigation.
Inigo Mendez de Vigo, minister of education, culture and sport and the government’s spokesman, said Friday that the government is prepared to take charge of the operations of the federation so Spanish soccer is not harmed by the scandal.
”What we want is to guarantee the complete normalcy of the institution when its president and vice president are in prison because of a judge’s decision (to deny them bail),” Mendez de Vigo said.