MALAGA, Spain – Qatari-owned Malaga says it will not be allowed to register new players before an outstanding debt to Spanish league rival Osasuna is settled.
Malaga, which reportedly still owes the Basque club over the summer transfer of defender Ignacio Monreal, says in a statement on Tuesday that the delays in payment are “due to the complexity in approving budgets and transactions with foreign entities.”
The Andalucian club says owner Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, who is a member of the Qatar royal family, has personally guaranteed the shortfall.
Malaga, which is 10th in the table, is looking to finish the season in the European places after €120 million ($156 million) was invested into the team in the past year.
