A Spanish court has sent Qatari royal Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani and three of his sons to trial for alleged offences committed during his management of former La Liga club Malaga, legal sources said on Wednesday.
Ex-club president Al-Thani, a distant relative of Qatar’s ruling family, and his children are accused of misappropriation, unfair administration and imposing abusive agreements, according to a Malaga court document dated Monday.
They theoretically face prison terms if convicted for their running of the current second-division side from Andalusia that ended in relegation and financial implosion.
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Al-Thani bought Malaga in 2010 and launched the modest club into a spending spree that acquired stars including Santi Cazorla and former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The success was short-lived. After reaching the Champions League quarterfinals in 2013, Malaga went on to lose its stars and was relegated from La Liga in 2018 and fell to the third tier in 2023.
The Covid-19 pandemic saw its finances sink into crisis, with the club placed under supervision by the Spanish tax authorities and presenting a collective redundancy plan.
A court removed Al-Thani from his post as president in 2020 following a complaint submitted by a group of small club shareholders.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com