Niece of Spanish Football chief found murdered in Mexico

The body of Maria Villar Galaz, a niece of Angel Maria Villar, the president of the Spanish Football Federation, was found dead in the Mexican city of Toluca on Sept. 15, the Spanish Foreign Ministry has confirmed on Tuesday night.

The 39-year-old was found in a dry river bed with her hands and feet tied and a plastic bag over her head after being kidnapped while taking a taxi at the Patio Santa Fe shopping center, to the South West of Mexico City on Sept. 13.

She was forced to accompany her kidnappers to various automatic cash machines, while the kidnappers also demanded money from her family, Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, explained on Spanish radio.

"An amount was paid and although it was much lower than what they had asked for, we were convinced that it would be a matter of time before she appeared safe... Unfortunately things did not turn out that way," the minister said.

Garcia Margallo refused to reveal how much money had been paid to the kidnappers, but the Spanish media report the sum was in the region of 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Maria Villar Galaz's husband, her cousin Gorka (one of Angel Maria Villar's sons) and two Spanish police officers had travelled to Mexico in order to secure her release.

Angel Maria Villar has been the chief of the Spanish Football Federation since 1988 and has also held important posts with UEFA and FIFA, or the governing bodies of European and World Football. Endit