Malaga president to quit

Malaga owner Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani has stated that he will quit the Liga club, citing a lack of respect.

Al-Thani purchased the Spanish side in June 2010, and bankrolled big-money moves for the likes of Santi Cazorla, Joaquin, Martin Demichelis and Jeremy Toulalan.

With the investment in the squad, Malaga enjoyed a spell in the upper echelons of the Liga table and they finished fourth in the 2011-12 season.

That brought a spell in the UEFA Champions League, Manuel Pellegrini leading them to the quarter-finals in 2013, before they were knocked out by Borussia Dortmund.

However, Al-Thani’s financial support for Malaga dried up, with Pellegrini and the stellar names departing La Rosaleda, while the club were banned from European competition for failing to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

And it now appears as though Al-Thani will cut ties with the team, after writing on Twitter: “Just we want respect and appreciation and equality and credibility. Not only for me, for all the fans (of) Malaga.

“I’m sorry to say this, (but) yes I will go from here. Because I did not find the respect and appreciation and equality.”

Reports in Spain suggest Al-Thani’s frustrations are due to lack of developments for his plans to build a football academy in Malaga, while he has also been unable to purchase the club’s stadium.