Will it be Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou or Spain’s Angel Maria Villar?
Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou and Spain’s Angel Maria Villar are in line to take over as interim heads of soccer's world and European governing bodies following the suspension on Thursday of Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini.
Blatter, Platini suspended from football by FIFA's ethics body
In the latest twist in the corruption scandal engulfing the sport, Blatter and Platini were both handed 90-day provisional bans, extendable by 45 days, by the Ethics Committee of the world body, FIFA.
FIFA’s statutes say that the most senior vice-president will stand-in for the president of the organisation. That position is currently held by Hayatou, president of Africa’s football confederation (CAF).
Spanish Football Federation president Villar is positioned to take over from Platini as he is the European governing body's highest-ranking vice-president.
Villar has been widely reported to be facing a FIFA ethics investigation himself related to Spain’s joint bid with Portugal for the 2018 World Cup. FIFA’s ethics committee is not allowed to confirm or deny the existence of any investigations.
In 2011, Hayatou was reprimanded by the International Olympics Committee's ethics commission after he confirmed to them that he was paid by FIFA's former marketing agency International Sport and Leisure in 1995.
The IOC said such an action constituted a conflict of interest. Hayatou denied any personal gain or wrongdoing.
