Who would have expected that 10 years after her great march in Europe, the Malaga she would fight not to be relegated to the third category with the odds even not in her favor…
On April 9, 2013, Malaga was found one step before the qualification to the “4” of the Champions League. Then with Manuel Pellegrini on the bench and Isco in his prime, the Andalusian side held qualification in their hands against Dortmund, but Jurgen Klopp’s side with two goals in stoppage time pulled off the upset and qualified. The Spanish team made an official complaint to UEFA about the referee, but to no avail. Despite the defeat and elimination, however, the future looked promising.
The arrival of the investor from Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani as new owner in 2010, he heralded an impressive transformation, with the new manager having a significant transfer budget at his disposal. However, Málaga were banned from the Europa League for a year in 2013/14 due to debts.
The president of the group had the idea to rebuild the marina of Marbella, located 40 kilometers from Malaga. The plan aimed to promote the area in order to raise the economic and social status of the group. However, the 400 million that were invested did not bear fruit and this had consequences in the racing part as well. So Málaga was relegated in 2018, five years after the European dream. In fact, in 2020 Al-Tani was removed from the team with his family leaving debts.
Just as five years after its great run in Europe, it was relegated, so this year, five years later, it is with one foot in the third category. After 33 matches and with 9 to go, Málaga is in 20th place in the league, 8 points away from the places that would ensure them to stay in the division.
Edited by: Vassilis Macheiras
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
