Sheikh your booty

Per Marca, Getafe's foreign entanglements in the Middle East are left looking weirder and weirder by the day.

Let's rewind a bit: two seasons ago club president Ángel Torres cemented a deal with the Royal Emirates Group to launch 'Getafe Team Dubai', a finance bid that was due to take effect this summer, clear the club's debt, and presumably turn the Azulones into the next Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain.

Jump back to the present day and we find that Sr. Torres has fallen for a scheme only very slightly more elaborate than a 419 scam. To gain €10m of investment from a wholly fictional Arab oligarch, all he had to do was send roof of solvency to a gang seemingly fronted by, of all people, a Brazilian waiter in Catalonia. Proof of solvency, needless to say, took the form not of a bank statement or affadavit, but a wad of cash - a wad which the notoriously frugal Torres will be mourning as we speak.

Does this mean the entire REG deal is fishy? Some sources have quickly leapt to that conclusion* but it doesn't seem clear-cut at all. Today REG responded with a public statement, indicating that their 'commercial agreement' has nothing to do with the sheikhdown, and that if the waiter and his pals invoked their boss' name, they'll see them in court.

So, 'Getafe Team Dubai' still seems to be something of a reality - after all, what would the 'commercial agreement' mean otherwise? but presumably Torres will be a little more careful about whom he trusts in future.

*UPDATE: As imply that the photo in their article is one of Torres with the fake Sheikh. In fact, so far as we can tell, that is the genuine sheikh, Sheikh Butti Bin Suhail Al Maktoum, and his agreement with Getafe is quite real - at least according to Arabian Business.

Getafe sold to Royal Emirates Group

Ángel Torres has effected the sale of Getafe CF to the Royal Emirates Group of Dubai. REG managing director Kaiser Rafiq signed the papers along with the Geta president mid-afternoon local time in the Gulf emirate, meaning that the Azulones are the third Liga outfit to have Asian ownership after Racing Santander and Málaga.

What this means for Getafe and its future is uncertain. Whether or not the team's name will change, how much investment there will be in the playing staff, even if Torres retains his position - none of this is yet known.

Geta are yet to make a formal announcement about the sale, but it is expected to weigh in at a €90m transaction. REG have promised to bring "new blood" to the club and to promote it throughout the Middle East.

Getafe "Team Dubai" closer to fruition - Angel Torres expected to sell to Arab consortium

Worrying and exciting times lie ahead for Getafe fans. According to Reuters, it seems that the sale of the club to the Royal Emirates Group is set to go ahead, although what this means for Geta's name and tradition is very much uncertain.

The REG announced earlier in the week the acquisition of a Spanish club for around €90m - an extraordinary sum, if it applies to Getafe - and the desire to re-brand it to "Team Dubai."

Club president Angel Torres and captain Manu del Moral are in Dubai and will be present at the formal announcement on Thursday.

Meanwhile fans look on with growing concern at what could happen to the symbols of their club and city, mixed with a smaller measure of excitement at the prospect of investment.

Getafe Team Dubai? No clarity around Middle Eastern investment

Angel Torres is in Dubai, flanked by Getafe captain Manu del Moral. The club president is seeking investment - at least, that's what he says. Per Marca:

"I haven't sold the club to anyone. I'm working as other clubs do - Atlético Madrid, Hércules...

"[We're in Dubai] only to find solutions for next season... I've come with the idea of meeting to gain sponsors to improve the image of Getafe and get a new name for the stadium."

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Royal Emirates Group Kaiser Rafiq of the Royal Emirates Group tells AP that his company had purchased a Spanish football team. AP later cites Rafiq as saying that jerseys, stadium and other merchandise would be branded with Team Dubai - but not the club's name itself.

Earlier it was thought that Real Zaragoza were the club to be bought out. Now it's less clear. Have Getafe been bought? Have they been invested in?

Above all, is this real?

Apparently all will be revealed on Thursday... but for now it's worth noting that the logo above was only last modified this morning, that the domain name was only registered today, April 19th, and that it's hosted by Bluehost, based out of Utah, USA, as opposed to a hosting company in Spain or the Middle East. Not that this is anywhere near conclusive, of course.