Madrid, Dec 10 (IANS): Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido stepped down after twelve and a half years at the helm of the Spanish BBVA Primera Liga club.

Del Nido was forced into his resignation Monday after the Spanish Supreme Court ratified a sentence of seven years in prison last week for his part in the 'Caso Minutas', in which public money was systematically siphoned off from the local authority in Marbella in the south of Spain, reports Xinhua.

Del Nido was the lawyer of former Marbella mayors, Jesus Munoz and Jesus Gil, the former president of Atletico Madrid football club. He had been accused of presenting 79 irregular bills and four false payments amounting to a total of 2.86 million euros.

Del Nido officially stepped down as Sevilla president after reading a communique in which he thanked the club for its support and confirmed Pepe Castro as his successor. He said he was confident his sentence would not affect the form of a team which has been getting better in recent weeks.

"I spoke to the coach (Unai Emery) and there is a man with experience at the head of the team and he will know how to negotiate his way around this problem. While there are experienced people at the club who have worked here for all of the time I have been in charge," said Del Nido.

Nido will now become the third Spanish football club president to be sent to jail for fraud, following Gil, who died in 2004, and former Rayo Vallecano president, Jose Maria Ruiz de Mateos.