Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Saudi takeover boosts Spanish Club Almería back into La Liga

Saudi takeover boosts Spanish Club Almería back into La Liga

It took seven years for Almería to return to the first division, a move many in the league credit to team’s new owner, Saudi Arabian Turki Bin Abdul Mohsen Al Al-Sheikh, the former minister of sport and current chairman of the General Authority of Entertainment of Saudi Arabia.
Al-Sheikh bought the Spanish club two years ago for approximately $20 million. Since then, he’s spent another $30 million to improve the squad, including $19 million on Nigerian forward Umar Sadiq, and $4 million each on Samú Costa, a Portuguese midfielder, Alejandro Pozo, a Spanish right-wing, Lucas Robertone, an Argentine midfielder, and Sergio Akiame, a left-back.

The Al-Sheikh used his sway to get seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and others to come watch a match with him last November, prompting a viral video that delivered Almeria’s social media presence. Flair for publicity extended to the streets: In 2020, the club raffled a dozen Audi A1s to season ticket buyers in order to drive crowds to Almeria’s stadium.

Almería is not the Saudi investor’s first foray into soccer. In 2018 Al-Sheikh bought an Egyptian club called Alassiouty Sport. He spent millions of dollars to revamp the squad, rebranded the club as Pyramid FC and sold it after two seasons when the club finished third.

In Spain, however, Al-Sheikh’s financial contributions have been limited by La Liga’s tight spending controls. Last season, Al-Sheikh wanted to bring new sponsors from Saudi Arabia, but LaLiga did not allow the move, claiming the amounts of the contracts did not correspond to the value of a second division team.

Almería’s promotion will put pressure on mid- to lower-level first division teams. Almería is in a position of financial strength and will now be allowed to spend 65% (up to $35.8 million) of its income on player salaries next season.

According to Transfermarkt.com, Almeria has the most expensive team in the second division, with the value of its 23 players totaling $63 million.

“Following Newcastle United’s late season success in the English Premier League and now UD Almeria’s promotion to Spain’s LaLiga, there will be two Saudi Arabian owned clubs in European soccer’s two biggest leagues,” Simon Chadwick director of the Centre for Eurasian Sport of EMLyon Business School told Sportico in a phone interview.

“Some will assess this as being immediate evidence of a return on Saudi Arabia’s investments in football, others will see it as an insidious example of sport washing. However, it remains to be established what links there are between Almeria and United.”

While happy Almeria supporters took to the streets of town to celebrate their long-awaited promotion, Al-Sheikh has three months to renovate the 15,000-seat municipal stadium and bring it up to LaLiga’s first division standards.

While he has to respect LaLiga’s salary cap, Al-Sheikh is expected to pursue star transfers. In 2019, he jokingly asked Messi to play for Almería; perhaps the Argentine is the card the Sheikh has been hiding up his sleeve.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×