By qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages, the financially troubled La Liga side will pocket at least €17.7 million from Uefa for its performance in the competition so far.
That €17.7 million will be added to by the variable amount which UEFA awards based on the market share of each of the teams. That will really come in handy as the club’s owner sheikh Al Thani who has almost ruined this club financially by not paying the club’s debts. This windfall should cover part of the club’s financial shortfall that sheikh Al Thani is against paying.
After four Champions League matches, Malaga tops Group C with 10 points, and a win in one of its last two games will assure it of winning the group and going into the draw next month as a number one seed.
As Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini has stressed on more than one occasion, the club’s sporting success has given its financials a lifeline as it waits for fresh income, beyond that derived from gate receipts and television rights.
Just last week Pellegrini and his players meet to discuss their options after wages again went unpaid again. Reports in the local media suggest that players are angry that back-wages owed, which total €9 million, had not been paid.
Malaga’s financial troubles could result in stars like Isco and Joaquín being sold in January to pay down the club’s debts. Remember that in the last transfer window Arsenal got Santi Cazorla relatively cheaply due to Malaga’s financial problems.
