“There’s no risk of disappearance, the club is viable in 1ª RFEF”

Among the topics discussed by José María Muñoz and Kike Pérez in their press conference, Málaga CF's budget for the 23/24 season in 1ª RFEF was one of the most commented on.

José María Muñoz wanted to start by contextualizing through the Club’s reality a few years ago. “In 2020, if Málaga had been relegated, viability was very remote because there were no resources,” said the judicial administrator. “Málaga’s value was very small in 2020, because there was a risk of disappearance. Now there’s no risk. In the annual accounts there is the treasury statement in June 2022, which was updated in December 2022,” he continued. In addition, José María wanted to clarify that “Málaga's annual accounts are audited by the same company” since before his arrival at the club.

Following this explanation, the judicial administrator broke down the accounts and commented on the differences between the current season and the next: “There are several factors to consider in Primera RFEF. First you have to reduce six and a half million. The ticketing situation will be reduced by 50%. There will be a help of four for the relegation, which isn’t charged all at once. And the store forecasts. We have contemplated just 200,000 euros in sponsorship in the most negative scenario. The salary limit will depend on the number of season ticket holders, the institutional and business support and, in the worst-case scenario, it will be around 2 million euros.”

The Academy was another focus of the press conference. Despite the relegation, “LaLiga will maintain its support” and “by September or October the first phase will be finished. The idea is to go and have a look to see where they’re up to,” said José María.

Another issue related to the finances are the cases related to the transfers of Javier Ontiveros and Ricardo Horta. “Whilst it hasn’t been received, you cannot count on that money. If Ontiveros' part is collected, it would be focused on improving the squad,” commented José María, who went on to say: “In the case of Horta we have taken longer because we have tried to collect more documentation. He has gone from five million to 11,250,000. The claim has already been raised with FIFA.”

Finally, the drop in category means a change in the institution that organises the league competition. Naturally, the change from LaLiga to the Federación Española was discussed by José María Muñoz, describing his good relationship with the top leaders of both organisations. “I received a very nice message from Javier Tebas on Saturday night and Luis Rubiales came to offer his condolences on the death of my father at the cemetery,” he concluded.