This Wednesday morning the National Police entered the facilities of the La Rosaleda football field, headquarters of Málaga CF, by court order. The proceedings are declared secret and have been ordered by the Court of Instruction 14 in Malaga. Police sources have explained that the intervention is part of an economic investigation, related to the club’s accounts. The agents, accompanied by the judicial secretary, are “gathering information”, as confirmed by judicial sources, even dumping computers.
The police presence is related to the proceedings that said court has opened after the complaint filed by the Association of Small Shareholders (APA), made up of about 600 people. In fact, the head judge, María de los Ángeles Ruiz, has summoned the main shareholder and owner of Málaga CF, Abdullah Al Thani, as well as his sons Nasser, Nayef and Rakan Al Thani, to testify on February 18, all members of the board of directors to know your point of view regarding the complaint.
Minority shareholders filed the complaint last fall against the board of directors – Al Thani and his three children – for alleged unfair management and misappropriation, as they believe they are using the club’s resources for their own benefit. Judicial sources explain that “if there are elements for it”, the crime of money laundering could also be added. After initially requiring more documentation, the court accepted the complaint just a few days ago. It was joined by the Prosecutor’s Office and, although the Malaga City Council has also requested it, its request has not yet been approved because it contained formal defects that must be corrected.
The APA has also requested the judge to intervene the club and appoint a judicial administrator during the procedure, but the head of the Court of Instruction 14 rejected it last Monday. “This does not mean that, in the future, this aspect can be reviewed again if necessary,” they explained then from the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA).
“What we want is to know how Malaga is economically, its situation, to know if someone has taken money or not. But the club is very opaque, it does not give information and they do whatever they want, “says Antonio Aguilera, president of the small shareholders, who also complains that Al Thani does not want to sell when there are various proposals that are” very interesting economically. ” to buy it.
Sheikh Al Thani arrived at Málaga CF in 2010 and the successes were soon noticed until reaching the participation of the team in the Champions League. Then a decline began until in 2018 the club dropped to Second. The fans have manifested on several occasions against him due to the changes of direction that the Qatari family shows in the management. They accuse him, among other issues, of directing by means of a tweet since the sheikh is usually in Qatar and his visits to Malaga are the exception. In the stands, the chants of “Al Thani go ya” are constant in every game at La Rosaleda. The Malaga City Council and the Andalusian Government have also tried to mediate to demand that the president present a viability plan for the club.
After generating large capital gains on transfers in the early years, Málaga CF’s economic situation has worsened in recent years. This season they have only been able to spend 10 million euros on signings, when last season they had 25 and the club has breached different basic aspects of the internal rules of Spanish football. There is also a crisis in sports. The team is only three points away from the direct descent to Second Division B and the atmosphere is turbulent after the farewell of coach Víctor Sánchez del Amo, after an intimate video of the coach was released, who was the victim of extortion. Months earlier, in October, the board of directors also fired José Luis Pérez Caminero, then sports director.
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, referred this Wednesday to the financial situation of the club: “We know that Malaga has a treasury to bear perfectly fulfilling its payments until the end of February or the beginning of March,” he said, according to Efe. Tebas has clarified that by then “a sale or an inflow of money has to take place and, if it does not take place, it will have treasury problems,” he assured, noting that if it is not solved the club may have serious problems with LaLiga.
The club denies it is a record
Málaga has issued a note in which it wishes to clarify what happened at the La Rosaleda stadium. The club’s version indicates that “the Judicial Police have gone to the offices requesting information in relation to a procedure which is under summary secrecy. It is not an entry and search order.” Málaga affirms that it has collaborated with the agents, thanked them for their treatment and clarified that the visit has not altered the normal functioning of the club.
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