Malaga president claims UEFA out to get them
Malaga’s defender Jesus Gamez reacts during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg football match of Borussia Dortmund vs Malaga CF in Dortmund, western Germany on April 9, 2013. Dortmund won the match 3-2 and qualified for the semi-finals. AFP/PATRIK STOLLARZ
MADRID—Malaga president Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani has continued his attack against UEFA, suggesting European football’s governing body have been out to get his side since the start of the season.
Al-Thani’s initial outburst came on Tuesday night after the Spanish side were dramatically eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund, losing 3-2 on aggregate.
However, replays showed the two goals scored in stoppage time by the German champions came from offside positions, leaving Al-Thani to claim the decisions were based on racism.
“This is not football, but racism, clearly,” he wrote on his twitter account on Tuesday.
“I hope to open a thorough investigation UEFA regarding the Spanish club out this way [sic].”
And, far from backing down on his claims, he insisted on Wednesday that the decision in the match could have been related to UEFA’s banning of Malaga from European competition next season, or, should they fail to qualify, the next time they do so in the next four years.
The Andalusians suffered the ban and a 300,000 euro ($392,000, £256,000) fine after being found to have made late payments to other clubs for transfer fees, as well as owing money to tax authorities and wages to employees.
“Yes, we were targeted from the beginning of the season by corrupt UEFA and based on racism (sic),” Al-Thani again said via his twitter page.
Malaga Chief Executive Officer Vicente Casado supported the Sheikh’s claims and said the club will launch an official protest with UEFA.
“We are angry at another injustice, first in the office and now on the field of play,” he told the club’s website.
“The club will present an official complaint to UEFA about the refereeing. If they demand a level of organization from us, we ask that the rest, including the referee, is at the same level.”
“The reaction of the Sheikh is one of anger; we are all angry.
“We are not going against UEFA, but in favor of football. This is what we want to make clear, UEFA ought to protect football and this is what we are going to defend.”
Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini was also highly critical of the Scottish officiating team, even though Malaga’s second goal, scored by Eliseu, was also shown to have been offside.
“It was like there wasn’t a referee on the pitch at the end, it was chaos in the closing stages, there were six or seven things which went unpunished in our area,” fumed Pellegrini.
“There was a chain of mistakes. Whatever needs to be changed, must be changed.”
