Sevilla president sentenced to seven years in prison

Madrid: A Spanish court has sentenced the president of Sevilla's football club to seven years in prison for embezzlement and corruption.

Madrid's Supreme Court upheld most of a 2011 ruling by a lesser court that found Jose Maria del Nido guilty of involvement in the embezzlement of public funds in the southern resort town of Marbella. The Supreme Court reduced the original sentence of 7½ years by six months.

Del Nido cannot appeal the sentence, but he can ask for a government pardon. The corruption ring centered on former mayor Julian Munoz, who in 2011 was also sentenced to 7½ years in prison.