New city football club launched with ambitions to compete with Malaga CF

Malaga city has a new football club: Club Deportivo Unión Malacitano was officially presented last Wednesday, marking the latest chapter in an ambitious football project aimed at coexisting with Malaga CF at the top of Spanish football.

The launch event took place at the auditorium of the Carmen Thyssen museum and was fronted by Daniel Pastor, former judicial administrator of Malaga CF, now CEO of the new club.

Pastor leads a group of Malaga-based investors who acquired the Segunda RFEF licence of La Unión Atlético, a club from Murcia that had previously fought for promotion.

The new entity includes three teams: a first team in Segunda RFEF, a reserve side named CD Malacitano 1903 in División de Honor, and a youth team from Tiro Pichón. The club’s total budget is 2.25 million euros, with two million allocated to the first team.

The first team, which will compete in Spain's fourth tier alongside Estepona and Atlético Malagueño, will play its home matches at the Ciudad de Málaga athletics stadium.

With the creation of this new club, the long-term objective is clear: to create a two-team city like in Seville with Sevilla FC and Real Betis.

"We're not anti-Malaga CF," said Pastor. "If one day we end up competing with them, hopefully it will be in Primera."

While Pastor revealed that the group had explored joining Malaga CF as shareholders through the acquisition of BlueBay’s shares, he said they received no response. "We wanted a fresh project. Existing clubs have habits and vices. It is more exciting to start from scratch."

The Malacitano project also involves former Malaga player Antonio Ayala as sporting director and Mario Luna as general director.