MADRID, May 25 -- Athletic Club Bilbao announced this Wednesday that the club will hold elections to elect a new president on July 7.

The decision brings to an end several weeks of speculation over the election date, given that elections had to be held this summer given that the four-year mandate of current President, Fernando Garcia Macua is coming to an end.

Macua will stand for re-election at the club he has controlled for the past four years and will probably face competition from former player Jusu Urrutia.

The announcement of the election date came several hours after Athletic's coach Joaquin Caparros commented in his end of season press conference that he would like to remain at the club.

Caparros has enjoyed a successful four year spell as coach at the Basque club. He arrived with Macua and took Athletic to a sixth place finish and qualification for Europe next season.

In his second season he led Athletic to the final of the Copa del Rey, which they lost to Barcelona and has helped strengthen the club's youth policy with players such as Iker Muniain, Borja Ekiza and Fernando Llorente establishing themselves as first team regulars among others.

Caparros will almost certainly continue next season as long as Macua is wins the elections, while Urrutia has yet to say who he would appoint as coach in the case of him being elected, although it is also possible that he put could put his faith in Caparros.

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