Nicolás Leoz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicolás Leoz
Leoz in July 2009
President of CONMEBOL
In office 1 May 1986 (1986-05-01) – 30 April 2013 (2013-04-30)
Preceded by	Teófilo Salinas Fuller
Succeeded by	Eugenio Figueredo
Personal details
Born	Nicolás Leoz Almirón (1928-09-10)10 September 1928 Pirizal, Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay
Died	28 August 2019(2019-08-28) (aged 90) Asunción, Paraguay
Nationality	Paraguay,  Colombia
Spouse	María Clemencia Pérez
Profession	Journalist

Nicolás Leoz Almirón (born September 10, 1928 – died August 28, 2019) was an important leader in South American football. He was the President of CONMEBOL (the South American Football Confederation) for many years. He held this top position from 1986 until 2013.

Leoz became president in 1986. He was re-elected six times during his time leading CONMEBOL. He was from Paraguay and also became a citizen of Colombia in 2008. On April 23, 2013, Leoz stepped down from his roles. He left both the FIFA Executive Committee and the CONMEBOL presidency because of health reasons.

Before leading CONMEBOL, Leoz had many other roles in sports. He was President of the Justice Department for Paraguayan Basketball. He also led the Paraguayan football club Club Libertad twice. Later, he became President of the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (Paraguayan Football Association). He also served as Vice President of CONMEBOL before becoming its president.

In 2010, he faced questions about his actions. These questions were about how television rights for the FIFA World Cup were given out in the 1990s. In 2015, Leoz was banned by the FIFA Ethics Committee. This ban was due to serious ethical concerns about his conduct.

Early Life and Career

Nicolás Leoz was born in Pirizal, a place in the Chaco Paraguayo region of Paraguay. He spent his childhood in Pirizal, which was part of a large industrial area.

From 1940 to 1950, Leoz worked as a sports journalist. He wrote for newspapers and worked on the radio. In 1957, he studied law at the National University of Asunción. He finished his law degree on December 24, 1957, when he was 29 years old.

Leoz also taught history from 1950 to 1962. He taught at several national schools. He was also involved in business, including an aluminum company and farming. From 1957 to 1977, he was the president of the Justice Tribunal for Paraguayan Basketball.

He received special honors during his life. He was given an "Honoris causa" doctorate from a university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was also made an honorary member of a university in Arequipa, Peru.

Timeline of Football Career

Ethical Concerns

In November 2010, a TV show called Panorama on the BBC raised questions about Nicolás Leoz. The show suggested that Leoz had received payments in the 1990s. These payments were related to agreements for selling television rights for the FIFA World Cup. The show claimed to have documents showing payments to Leoz from a company that won these rights.

In May 2011, more accusations came up. It was suggested that Leoz had asked for special honors. These honors were supposedly in return for supporting England's bid to host the World Cup. There were also discussions about naming the FA Cup, a famous football competition, after him.

On April 23, 2013, Leoz announced he would resign from his CONMEBOL presidency. His resignation became official on April 30, 2013. In June 2015, a special international notice was issued for Leoz. Later, in 2018, a court in Paraguay approved his extradition. Leoz appealed this decision. The case was still being reviewed by the Supreme Court of Paraguay when he passed away.

See also

In Spanish: Nicolás Leoz para niños