From Al-Thani arrest order to Spain’s safeguards on club owners | OneFootball

Málaga’s Provincial Court has issued arrest warrants for Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani and his sons Nasser, Nayef and Rakkan. The case centres on alleged misappropriation, disloyal administration and abusive agreements linked to their 2010 takeover.

According to AS, their reign took the club from the Champions League to Primera RFEF, with annual losses above 10 million prompting court intervention in 2020. Spain has seen other high-profile ownership crises too.

Past flashpoints include Marcelo Tinelli at Badajoz, who bought 57% in 1998 then exited in 2001, and the club folded in 2011. Dimitri Piterman left Alavés in 2007 with €25 million debt and a 15-year ban. Ali Syed departed Racing after three months and is jailed in Zurich for commercial fraud.

Spain now polices buyers and balance sheets more tightly. The CSD must authorise any purchase above 25% and has rejected conflicted bids at Toledo in 2004, Cádiz in 2024 and Linares Deportivo in 2026. LaLiga’s 2012 controls enforce timely payments and tie transfer spend to income. The last insolvency was Elche in 2015. Unpaid wages this season have been flagged at six non-professional clubs.

Foreign majority owners now lead 20 of 42 Spanish clubs. Since the pandemic, 16 have changed control, most recently Atlético de Madrid with Apollo Sports Capital in a deal worth more than two billion for 55%.

Such scale is considered viable only at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético. Valuations have risen 8% to 233 million in Primera and 30 million in Segunda.

Source: AS