Soccer: Spanish sports ministry calls for new federation elections

By Richard Martin

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spain's sports minister has requested that its national soccer federation (RFEF) holds new elections as a result of the corruption investigation into former president Angel Maria Villar, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.

Newspaper AS said that Jose Ramon Lete, president of the state sports body Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), made the request through the Spanish sports court (TAD), which needs to approve it to trigger a new election process.

"Now we have to wait for their decision, which I hope does not take too long," Lete said.

The federation had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters and referred questions back to the ministry, which was not immediately available for comment.

Villar, RFEF president since 1988 until his arrest in July in a sweeping corruption investigation, was re-elected unopposed in May for an eighth consecutive term.

He was temporarily removed from office following his arrest in July alongside his son Gorka Villar and vice-president Juan Padron on allegations of collusion, embezzlement and falsifying documents.

Villar, a former vice-president at FIFA and UEFA, was granted bail on July 31. He denies all the charges against him.

Former RFEF treasurer Juan Luis Larrea was named interim RFEF president in July.

If the TAD approves Lete's request, a new election process will be launched, with a new president likely to be chosen in February, 2018.

(Reporting by Richard Martin, editing by Ed Osmond)