MADRID, 20 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
José Manuel Llaneza, vice-president of Villarreal CF, has died this Thursday at the age of 74, as confirmed by the Castellón team, which is sadly saying goodbye to one of its key people and “great architects” of its current position in national and international football.
“Villarreal CF regrets to announce that today, Thursday, October 20, its vice president, José Manuel Llaneza, has passed away. The club wishes to express its deep and immense pain, sadness and consternation for his irreparable loss and send its most sincere love and affection to his family and friends,” the club said in a statement.
The ‘Yellow Submarine’ stressed that Llaneza, President Fernando Roig’s right-hand man, was “one of the great architects of the great growth of the entity, which he arrived at in 1994 and where he performed the tasks of manager, CEO and vice president”, and described him as “one of the greatest references in Spanish football for his great ability, talent, work and leadership”.
“The institution declares mourning for the next few days and will ask both LaLiga and FC Barcelona to observe a minute of silence in his memory prior to tonight’s game.
Eternal legend of Villarreal CF. See you always, Jose Manuel. DEP”, sentenced the entity.
José Manuel Llaneza announced last February that he was suffering from leukemia for which he was being treated at the La Fe Hospital in Valencia. On May 15, he was applauded by the ‘groguet’ fans who received him warmly when he returned to the stadium to watch the game against Real Sociedad.