MONTEVIDEO: Gorka Villar, secretary-general of CONMEBOL, has failed to answer an order to appear before the Uruguayan Court for Organised Crime after allegations laid in the case against Eugenio Figueredo.

On March 14 Villar was ordered by the Uruguayan court to present himself with legal representation on or before April 4. Options open to the court include applying to Interpol for an international arrest warrant.

Villar, lawyer son of FIFA and UEFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar, was blamed by Figueredo for planning an attempt to blackmail Uruguayan clubs into withdrawing a court complaint over their share-out of international tournament revenues.

Figueredo, a former vice-president of the world federation and head of South American body CONMEBOL, is currently recovering in hospital from emergency surgery which interrupted his trial on corruption charges. He is also wanted in the United States over the FIFAGate investigation.

Gorka Villar, it has been claimed in the Uruguayan court case, is alleged to have been involved in the theft of CONMEBOL funds in Asuncion, Paraguay, and of having destroyed hard drives and documents.

##########