Getafe CF bought by Royal Emirates Group

Dubai based Royal Emirates Group were scouting the European club market for a while and in the end they decided to buy Getafe Club de Fútbol, a small club in the Madrid metropolitan area. It is now the third Spanish Primera Division club in foreign ownership after FC Malaga last year was sold to Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family for about 25 Million Euros; while Racing Santander was bought by Indian businessman Ali Ahsan Syed earlier this year for up to 40 Million Euros.

"We are very happy to sign this agreement with Getafe, which will be called Getafe Team Dubai," the group's chairman, Sheikh Butti bin Suhail al-Maktoum told reporters in Dubai.

While Getafe CF president, Angel Torres, said he hopes the agreement "will push Getafe to the highest level in domestic and European competition."

The 100 percent stake in Getafe CF is worth between 70 to 90 Million Euros with the exact figure not disclosed. The Royal Emirates Group is an investment firm chaired by Sheikh Butti Bin Suhail Al Maktoum, a member of the royal family of Dubai and they have ambitions with the club to compete in the UEFA Champions League in the coming seasons.

Currently Getafe are 14th in the Primera Division standings, but only four points away from the relegation spots though last season they finished sixth and that would be the aim of the new owners to finish amongst the top six to play either Champions League or Europa League next season and a year later they would like to see the club qualify for the Champions League.

Very high expectations for the club to deliver and if officials from the Royal Emirates Group are to be believed then they are willing to spend in the transfer market to bring in the right players to compete with clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, FC Valencia, FC Villarreal, etc.