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Spanish federation head Villar to run for UEFA presidency

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MADRID (AP) — Angel Maria Villar, UEFA's longest-serving vice president, is standing in the election to succeed Michel Platini as the head of European soccer.

The Spanish federation president announced his candidacy ahead of Wednesday's deadline for September's UEFA presidential election.

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Villar is set to be challenged for the presidency by Michael van Praag, a UEFA vice president from the Netherlands, and Slovenia federation head Aleksander Ceferin.

Platini has been forced to relinquish the presidency as he serves a four-year ban from world soccer but Villar has his own history with the FIFA ethics committee.

He was issued with a warning last year for an indecent remark in 2014 to then-FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia during an investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid contests.

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