As Spanish officials step up their calls for Spain to host the 2030 World Cup final, former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Ángel María Villar has taken a more measured position.
Speaking to Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo, Villar said a final in Morocco would not be a problem if FIFA decided that was the best option.
Speaking in Madrid on Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Football Summit (WFS), Villar made clear that he would prefer the final to be played in Spain. But the former RFEF president, who led the federation from 1988 to 2017, also acknowledged that the decision ultimately lies with FIFA.
“I would like the final to be played in Spain. Are the people over there idiots and do they not want Spain? That’s not true,” he said, before stressing FIFA’s authority over the decision. “I would do everything possible for it to be played in Spain, but if the governing body really believes that, for the global profile of football, it is better to play it in another country, it will know what it has to do. That is why it was elected.”
Villar was then asked specifically about the possibility of the Hassan II Grand Stadium hosting the final of the 2030 World Cup.
Once again, the former Spanish football chief made no secret of his preference for Spain while acknowledging that Morocco remains a possible host.
Model of the Grand Hassan II Stadium in Benslimane.
“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. But I wouldn’t make a drama out of it either,” the former RFEF president said, according to Mundo Deportivo.
His comments stand out from a series of statements made in Spain in recent weeks over the 2030 World Cup final.
Several political figures and Spanish football officials have publicly backed their country’s bid, with some even presenting a final in Spain as the obvious choice.
Villar, however, focused on how the decision will actually be made. The former federation president is familiar with FIFA’s decision-making structures, having served on its bodies between 2002 and 2017. “The people who are there come from all over the world. It is an executive committee of 24 people and they will know what they have to do,” he said.
Villar’s position therefore differs from some of the more categorical calls coming from Spain. He wants the final in Spain but does not consider it guaranteed, nor does he see a decision to award the match to Morocco as incomprehensible.
In his view, FIFA should make the final decision based on what it considers the best option for the global profile of football.
