Soccer-Villarreal president Roig to miss Europa League final

GDANSK, Poland (Reuters) - Villarreal president Fernando Roig will not watch his side in Wednesday's Europa League final against Manchester United after organisers UEFA said he could not form part of the team's bubble in Gdansk after recently recovering from COVID-19.

A statement from Villarreal on the day of the final said Roig had travelled to Gdansk on a private jet while complying with health regulations but UEFA said not enough time had passed since he caught the virus for him to have contact with the team.

"Given it was impossible to share this historic occasion with the rest of the travelling party from the inside, the president has decided to return to Spain," Villarreal said in a statement.

Billionaire Roig, whose family founded the supermarket chain Mercadona, became Villarreal's president in 1997 and was the architect of their rise to becoming one of the top sides in Spanish soccer.

(Reporting by Richard Martin; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)