MADRID: Spanish federation president Angel Maria Villar has been detained in jail without bail by a Madrid judge on corruption charges.

Villar, a senior vice-president of world federation FIFA and European governing body UEFA, was arrested earlier this week along with his son Gorka, a former general secretary of South American confederation CONMEBOL, and the Spanish federation’s finance director Juan Padron.

Gorka Villar and Padron were both also denied bail while Tenerife FA president Ramon Hernandez Baussou can obtain provisional release on a surety of €100,000 and surrender of his passport.

Villar is accused of misuse of administrative authority, misappropriation of funds and /or fraud, documentary misrepresentation and contractual corruption.

Judge Santiago Pedraz considered that the severity of the charges raised a significant risk of the individuals fleeing the country  “especially given the great economic capacity available.”

According to the judge, at least since 2009, Villar had created a framework permitting the diversion of both public and private funds from the Spanish football federation and related organisations.

He had also taken advantage of his position of power in the RFEF to manipulate appointments of directors and award of business in favour of his son and his son’s company, Sport Advisers SL.

The judge also accepted allegations concerning the financial arrangement of friendly matches of the Spanish national team against South Korea, Venezuela or Chile, to the benefit of Gorka Villar.

Villar, 67, was arrested after an investigation initiated following a complaint by the national sports council about the misuse of funds awarded in support of the vain Portugal/Spain bid to win host rights to the 2018 World Cup.

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