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Sports News of Monday, 15 June 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Iker Casillas drops out of Spanish FA election

Iker Casillas Iker Casillas

Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillas announced on Monday he was ending his bid to run for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The former FC Porto player, who led Spain to their first World Cup title in 2010, had in February announced his intention to contest for the RFEF presidency.

Casillas' withdrawal means incumbent Luis Rubiales, who took over from Angel Maria Villar in May 2018, is set to be re-elected unopposed in August with a four-year mandate.

In a statement released on social media, Casillas wrote: “I would like to inform you that I have decided not to run for the upcoming RFEF elections.”

The 39-year-old said he was pulling out of the race for the top job in Spanish football as a result of the “exceptional social, economic and health situation that our country is suffering”.

He said the COVID-19 outbreak which has claimed over 27,000 victims in the country had relegated the election into “second place”.

However, he has not closed the door on a future presidential bid, saying he hopes to be part of the next electoral process.

Casillas played 167 times for Spain, also winning two Euros in 2008 and 2012, and made more than 700 appearances for Real Madrid, with whom he won five La Liga titles and the Champions League three times, before joining Porto in 2015.

Named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI five years in a row between 2008 and 2012 he suffered a heart attack in May 2019 during training and has not played another competitive match since. [AFP]

Casillas enjoyed trophy-filled 19 years campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu representing Real Madrid from the youth level all the way to the first team.

Euro Sports