Angel Maria Villar Resigns from UEFA Vice Presidency Amid Corruption Allegations

UEFA vice president Angel Maria Villar has resigned amid allegations of corruption.

News of his decision to step down came courtesy of Graham Dunbar of the Associated Press on Thursday:

BBC Sport's Richard Conway relayed a section of UEFA's statement:

As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Villar, also president of the Spanish Football Association, is currently in prison on corruption charges.

Per the same report, the Spanish FA have appointed treasurer Juan Luis Larrea as the interim replacement for Villar, who had been at the top of the federation for 29 years.

Four Spanish officials—Villar, his son Gorka, vice president Juan Padron and regional secretary for Tenerife Ramon Hernandez—were all taken into police custody last week. The latter of the quartet was the only man granted bail amid the embezzlement allegations.

According to the Associated Press (via the Guardian) the arrests were made after "an investigation into the finances of the federation."

Villar stepped in as acting UEFA president in October 2015 when Michel Platini was suspended. As reported by the Press Association (via the Guardian), he was fined 25,000 Swiss francs the following month for failing to fully cooperate with an investigation into the bidding process for the FIFA World Cup in 2018.