ASUNCION: South American confederation CONMEBOL has summoned member associaions to an extraordinary congress on October 19 to remove Uruguayan businessman Wilmar Valdez from his FIFA Council role.

A meeting in La Paz on Sept 17 convened the extraordinary congress in Santiago.

Valdez, president of the Uruguayan FA from April 2014 until July 30, resigned a day before his term expired. He said he quit the Uruguay FA role for “family reasons” but he was then subject to allegations of illicit negotiations concerning security equipment contracts for the Estadio Centenario and other Uruguayan football stadia.

He had been appointed to FIFA Council in January 2016 after withdrawing his candidacy for the CONMEBOL presidency.

CONMEBOL’s other FIFA Council representatives are president Alejandro Dominguez (who is a FIFA vice-president), Ramon Jesurun of Colombia, Maria Sol Munoz of Ecador and Fernando Sarney of Brazil. Jesurun has also come under pressure over allegations, which he has denied, concerning the illicit sale of World Cup tickets.

A possible replacement for Valdez would be Claudio Tapia, current president of the Argentinian FA.

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