Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido vowed not to resign from his post on Tuesday, a day after being sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on embezzlement charges
Del Nido was found guilty of embezzling public funds in the southern Spanish town of Marbella and was also ordered to pay the Marbella town hall ?2.7 million ($3.5 million) for his role as a lawyer in the corruption ring from 1999-2003.
But the 54-year-old Del Nido said Tuesday he would not step down as long as legally possible, even if the decision affects the image of the Andalucian club.
''I'm not quitting,'' Del Nido was quoted as saying on the Spanish club's website. ''Though I've been sentenced, that can be appealed and so for as long as that sentence is not in effect then I am innocent of these crimes for which I have been charged.''
Del Nido said he would continue his work unperturbed despite the advice of his family and friends, who all pushed him to resign nearly midway through his ninth season. Sevilla has won two UEFA Cups, two Copa del Reys and one European Super Cup under his leadership of the club.
''This is one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make,'' said Del Nido, who has four days to appeal.
Marbella was once known as a glitzy resort destination, but in recent years it has been tarnished by corruption.
In 2006 the Spanish government took the unprecedented step of dissolving the Marbella city council amid the scandal in which various city officials were accused of accepting bribes and other favors in exchange for granting building permits.
Marbella's former mayor, Julian Munoz, received the same sentence as Del Nido, while the municipality's former urban planning adviser, Juan Antonio Roca, was sentenced to four years in prison.
Sevilla is sixth in the Spanish league after a 6-2 loss to Real Madrid on Saturday.
