Nasser Al-Thani owes €532,000 at London's Dorchester Hotel
Nasser Al-Thani, son of the sheikh who owns Malaga CF, has left an unpaid bill of around €532,000 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. A British court has allowed the seizure of a Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari that covers only a small fraction of the debt. The amount is more than double the salary of several players in the current Malaga squad.
ByMatt
4 min read
The Al-Thani name has returned to the forefront of Malaga CF news. While the club prepares for its match against Celta Vigo, Nasser, the sheikh's son and a defendant in several cases linked to the Martiricos outfit, left an unpaid bill of around €532,000 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. That figure more than doubles the annual salary of several players in the current Malaga squad in Spain's top flight.
- Nasser Al-Thani owes close to €532,000 at the Dorchester Hotel in London.
- A British court has authorised the seizure of his Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari, worth about £23,500.
- The sum more than doubles the €200,000 minimum salary set for players in La Liga.
- The story broke just as it was confirmed that Malaga CF has the second-lowest salary cap in the division.
Nasser Al-Thani's unpaid bill in central London
For more than five years, the sheikh's son grew accustomed to living off Malaga CF's money. The public prosecutor's report was particularly scathing about his lavish spending, and his unpaid debts have put him back in the spotlight. A London court has given the Dorchester Hotel permission to take possession of one of the vehicles Nasser kept on its premises in an attempt to recover a tiny slice of that half a million euros.
Seized Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari covers only a fraction of the debt
The car in question is a Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari, a model whose second-hand market value sits at around £23,500. That is nowhere near the £458,000 the London establishment is claiming. Selling the vehicle would only cover a small portion of the debt acknowledged in the legal proceedings.
A hotel bill that dwarfs salaries at Malaga CF
To grasp the scale of the unpaid bill, it helps to look at the Malaga dressing room. Those €532,000 double the wages of several members of the first-team squad who sit at the bottom end of the club's pay scale. The minimum salary for a footballer in La Liga is set at €200,000 per season, which puts Al-Thani's London debt into sharp perspective.
The contrast with Malaga CF's real economy and salary cap
The news emerged just as something long expected in football terms became official: Malaga CF has the second-lowest salary cap in the division. While the club's current owners remain beyond the reach of a European arrest warrant and Nasser leaves a trail of unpaid debts in London that he aims to settle in almost symbolic fashion, the financial reality of the club could hardly be more different.
Frequently asked questions about Nasser Al-Thani's debt
Frequently asked questions
How much money does Nasser Al-Thani owe the Dorchester Hotel in London?
The debt amounts to around €532,000, roughly £458,000. It is the sum the London hotel is claiming from Nasser, the son of the sheikh who owns Malaga CF, after his lengthy stay at the property.
Which car was seized from Nasser Al-Thani over the debt?
The British courts authorised the seizure of a Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari. Its second-hand value is about £23,500, far below the total amount the Dorchester Hotel is demanding.
What is the minimum salary in La Liga and how does it compare with the debt?
The minimum salary for a player in La Liga is set at €200,000 per season. Nasser Al-Thani's debt of €532,000 is more than double that figure and exceeds the annual wages of several Malaga CF players.