Javier Medina to stay on as coach until 2025 amid major changes at Antequera

The youngest football coach in the top three divisions has led the recently promoted side to seventh place, just eight points behind Malaga

Juan Calderón

Antequera

Saturday, 30 December 2023, 19:59

After an excellent start to life in the third tier of Spanish football, Antequera have rewarded coach Javier Medina with a new contract. If all goes to plan, the 29-year-old will remain in post until at least the summer of 2025.

Medina, currently the youngest coach in Spain's top three divisions, has been enormously successful since taking over in June 2023, despite his relatively little experience. Having served as assistant coach at Betis B, the Seville native joined Antequera as second-in-command until Abel Segovia's departure at the end of last season.

Employing a direct, fast-paced style of play, his team currently sit seventh in the Primera RFEF table - just four places and eight points behind Malaga - having largely been in and around the play-off places during the first half of the season despite having only just been promoted.

Speaking at a press conference attended by club president Ángel González and sporting director Alberto Aguilar, Medina expressed his delight at the early-season vote of confidence: "My desire was always to continue with Antequera. Last summer, I fulfilled my dream of becoming a coach, but signing a new deal is even more important."

Acknowledging the support of the club's leadership, he added: "I wanted to thank the trust and courage you showed in the summer."

The next stage

During the same press conference, it was confirmed that the football club had obtained approval from the Consejo Superior de Deportes (Spanish Sports Council) to become a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva (SAD).

This legal structure transforms sports clubs, like football clubs, into profit-driven businesses. It allows them to seek investment, operate more like companies and focus on making money rather than just being a non-profit organisation. This major change clears the way for increased foreign capital inflow and an imminent shift in management.

A Dutch group, led by Frans van Seumeren, a prominent figure in business and owner of Utrecht, a Dutch top-flight football club, currently owns two-thirds of the club. So now, unless there's a sale of these shares, this group is expected to formally take over the club.

Medina's extension therefore is not only a look towards the long term but also a decision in favour of continuity as the club is set to undergo major changes.

"The team is growing, the project is too," he said. "We're taking small but firm steps. When we have to leave, I hope people value what we've done and have good memories of us."

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