Joint Spanish-Portuguese 2018 World bid suggested (News Feature)

By Duncan Shaw Dec 23, 2008, 8:30 GMT

Madrid - Angel Maria Villar, president of the Spanish football federation, said early on Tuesday that Spain should prepare a joint bid to stage the 2018 World Cup along with neighbours like Portugal.

Villar made this suggestion shortly after midnight, at the end of the federation's traditional Christmas dinner with journalists in Madrid.

In his lengthy after-dinner speech, Villar sketched out three priorities.

'Firstly, to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, afterwards to win the Confederations Cup (to be held in South Africa in June 2009).'

The third priority, he said, was to 'present a strong, consistent, winning bid to stage the 2018 World Cup finals. Personally, I think that it should be with Portugal.'

Villar added that 'we need a government disposed to help us with this.'

Villar, 58, has been president of the Spanish federation (RFEF) since 1988, and was unanimously re-elected to the post for another four-year term in November.

He has been a vice-president of UEFA since 1992 and of FIFA since 2000. He may put himself forward as candidate for the FIFA presidency, when Joseph Blatter finally decides to retire.

He is one of Planet Football's few officials to have been a top player. He was a hard-working midfielder for Athletic Bilbao from 1971 to 1981, and won 22 caps for Spain.

Spain has not staged a major football tournament since the 1982 World Cup finals.

Ironically, it was Villar who ruled against a joint bid with Portugal to stage the 2004 European Championship finals, believing that Spain would win with a solo bid. Instead, Portugal won the vote, taken in October 1999.

In his late-night speech, Villar also stated that the RFEF would celebrate its centenary in 2009 by opening a 'Museum of Spanish Football,' close to the federation's 'City of Football' training grounds in Las Rozas, just outside Madrid.

'2008 has been a sensational year,' he added, 'it will go down in the history of Spanish sport, especially for winning the European Championship so brilliantly.'

Villar finished his speech well after midnight, by wishing national manager Vicente del Bosque a happy 58th birthday for Tuedsday.

Del Bosque took over the Spain job from the Fenerbahce-bound Luis Aragones after the Euro 2008 triumph.

He has kept Aaragones' slick side together and has won the first five qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup - Spain are four points clear at the top of Group 5 - thus keeping 'La Seleccion' in first place in the FIFA world rankings.