ASUNCION: Lawyers for Nicolas Leoz has rejected reports that he has accepted extradition to the United States from Paraguay to face charges in the FIFAGate football corruption investigation writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Reports early this week suggested that the 87-year-old former president of CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, would shorly be on the plane bound for New York.

However Ricardo Preda, lawyer for Leoz, has insisted that the extradition application from the US Department of Justice does not fall within legal parameters in Paraguay and that Leoz’s resistance will continue.

Preda said: “Technically the extradition request is not apprpriate to the legal system of Paraguay whatever the allegations.”

He pointed out that an appeals court on Monday had ruled only that the extradition application process could continue without ruling on the issues.

Leoz was president of CONMEBOL for 27 years until resigning in 2013. He was succeeded by Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo, who was detained in Zurich last May. The latest CONMEBOL president, Juan Angel Napout – Paraguay like Leoz – has pleaded not guilty in New York to corruption charges.

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