Mohamed El Assy has granted an extensive interview to the Saudi media Al-Riyadia which, due to its interest for the UD Almería fans, we reproduce almost verbatim translated into Spanish. After taking advantage of the summer holidays to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, a custom that all Arabs must do at least once in their lives, the Egyptian CEO is once again in charge of his duties to face his debut in the First Division.
How was the last season in Second Division?
It was a bit strange, the start was great, we got 45 points in the first 20 rounds, a record for the league, and things seemed easy and smooth, but we were surprised by 16 cases of coronavirus infection among the team and two injuries, and our most important Nigerian striker, Sadiq Umar, joined the squad for the African Championship in January, after being called up for his time with Almería. The situation changed completely and we started to lose, out of the next 15 points we took only one and fell to third place, then we went up to second, then the dramatic scenario that we saw at the end of the season happened and we won the title in the last two minutes. after 42 rounds and with a score of 81 points.
What are your most outstanding impressions of the experience of being promoted to the Spanish First Division?
It was a difficult experience for me and for the whole team because we arrived in Spain suddenly, after the sale of the Pyramids club, when a good offer came to the consultant Turki Al-Sheikh, who decided to sell it, and then we negotiated on the basis that we would buy it next year. So Al-Sheikh decided to buy and not wait for a second year, taking a risk. The most important thing was not to go down, and Glory to God, from the first year we competed first and second until April and then we stayed third and fourth, reaching the “Playoff”, but it was a difficult experience. We did not have enough time to prepare and study and our work was under pressure, it took us time to learn Spanish, but in the end I learned many things and it opened new horizons and new markets for me. Thank God at the end of this experience of promotion, for me personally he became the first Arab executive director and sports director in the Spanish Primera. We also won a championship for the first time in the history of the club, something very special that will be remembered forever.
What is the impact of this promotion from an economic point of view on the club?
The club’s income is going to change completely, whether it’s from television, tickets or sponsors, and even the sale of players changes completely, and our expectations, God willing, are that the club’s budget for the new year will be between 80 and 100 million euros. Last year we had 47 million euros in the Second Division and all this is due to the efforts of the club, whether it be selling players, attracting sponsors or increasing television broadcasting. Almería’s organization chart was developed after the advisor bought the club, because in Spain it was forbidden for the owner of the club to inject money, you have to trust yourself as a company to try to provide income and this is what we work on. The increase, as you can see, will be almost 100 percent.
Is it true that Turki Al-Sheikh bought the club for 27 million euros, including the payment of debts in 2019? After these years, what is the market value of the club?
No, he bought the club for 18 million euros and made a capital increase of 30 million. After that extension, the League annulled this law that you are raising capital and using a percentage in football, that is why I said in the previous question that there is nothing available to us after the first year. That completely interfered and we had to rely on selling players. The minimum value of the club today in my personal assessment is not less than 150 million. He bought the club for 18 million and currently the market value of the club reaches 150 million euros.
How much do they earn for television rights?
Of the income from television broadcasting in the new season this year we are entitled to 45 million in case of relegation (God forbid), but any advanced position will improve it, this is the minimum. Those 45 million will be distributed evenly, then a percentage of your position is taken that is based on the previous season, so that next year it will be over 70 and so on.
Tell us about your marketing experience…
We did a lot of things in the Arab world, there were things that were used in Egypt and things that were used in Saudi Arabia, the prizes, the expectations of the matches, these of course are all Abu Nasser’s ideas, but I see that he is doing marketing, a reflection of the follow-up we have in the club’s accounts, on social networks, we are number 1 from Egypt, number 2 in Saudi Arabia, number 3 Spain. This indicates that in the next period the interest of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries will increase much more also because the club is in the First Division. If the club achieves a good performance and a good level, we feel that the owner of the club is Saudi and the management is mostly Arab, an Egyptian CEO, so you have to feel that this is a club that follows us as Arabs. .
It shows that they focus marketing on Saudi Arabia and Egypt, why?
Marketing in Egypt and Saudi Arabia has been present from day one and continues, like other Arab countries, because Almería is considered the representative of the Arabs in the Spanish League and the majority of the club’s followers on the social networks of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The Almería project is ambitious, what are your plans for the future, especially in the Arab world?
We have many plans in the Arab world, including Academies and the opening of stores for the club, but we are working step by step, we are currently finishing the first stage of the Stadium, because things in Spain have a bit of bureaucracy due to their laws that take time for everything. We have finished the first stage, whose inauguration will be on July 30. After that, God willing, we will finish the grounds of the Academy and we will be able to say at the end of this season “we have the academy ready, the new Almería academy”. After finishing it, we have projects related to Arab countries in general, such as opening the club’s Academies, in Saudi Arabia in particular. Also the club stores so that we can start supplying our countries.
So there will be Club Academies in the Arab countries?
This year we will finish the first phase of the new Club Academy and we will also finish after the first year with the development of the methodology in the training of youth. We started with her two years ago and we achieved a remarkable development in the junior. We only need the infrastructure, including stadiums and buildings, which will be ready in March, God willing, and then we will expand in the Arab countries to apply the same standards and methodology used in Spain.
Do you intend to expand in the United States and East Asia, like other European clubs?
We are interested in America, but the priority for us is the Arab branch because Almería also has a bit of symbolism for the Arab, it is in Andalusia. Almería is the last city where the Arabs came from. The Arab market as a marketing strategy is our priority.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the club’s owner, tweeted on his personal account that he was targeting Arab talent. Does it have specific names in Saudi Arabia?
Of course, we are aiming. We can help train them, because that is already Almería’s strategy, even with Spanish and foreign players. We are making stars, such as Ramazani or Samú Costa. Nobody knew about them and we were able to develop them technically and at the level of personality and mentality. We offer a good product that we can sell for a return much higher than what we pay and it helps the club to grow and further develop.
What’s new in the summer offers, especially after the promotion?
Regarding the agreements, currently there are no clear names for the Arab players, because most of the talents we are talking about need to train with teams and groups of their age, but so far there are no clear names in this regard.
They will debut in the league against Real Madrid, how do you prepare it?
The pros of the theme outweigh its cons. It will be our first game in our stadium against Real Madrid. At the marketing level, the whole world will be watching us, especially because we are still inaugurating the first phase of the stadium, which will be two weeks before, so this is the best propaganda for us, but in the end it is the champion of Spain and Europe , that God protect us.
Do you want to compete for Almería to be a producer and source of talent?
When we came, Turki Al-Sheikh said that we would be promoted in 3 years to be realistic. You need a year to adapt, a year trying to move up and another year to put your feet up and achieve something, so that was the idea. Now our goal is for Almería to remain a permanent club in the First Division, a club that feels comfortable in the middle of the table, not competing for relegation in recent weeks. After that happens, we will start trying to get to Europe, the competition in the Spanish First Division is a bit difficult.
What is it like to work for Turki Al-Sheikh, who is a very enthusiastic person?
He is an enthusiastic person, but at the same time rational and weighs things well, he can be fast because he still wants to achieve many things and wants to race against time, but the most important thing is that his race for time is not at the expense of quality . If you don’t do your best, it won’t help that you did it fast, you have to work with the best quality and the best standards. How do you use your time and do a lot more things than you imagined you would do and how do you work under pressure without that pressure? It affects your decisions and does not affect your personal life, and I thank you once. We did a very good job on Pyramids, but in the end this is Spain, and I had no experience here, I couldn’t speak the language. I thank you for this trust. I hope that the promotion and the league title that we get is an answer and we promise more in the future, God willing.
Al-Sheikh is a man known for not accepting defeat…
True, but at the same time there is a logic, it is not that he does not accept defeat and there are no logical reasons, he will always have logical reasons for not accepting defeat. When he gives you all the tools he has the right not to accept defeat, but to give you the possibilities you need, so you have no argument. As they say, I am also the same person as him, I don’t like failure, and that may be our first problem in European culture, because it is completely different from us as Arabs. I’m with him, you don’t have to accept defeat as long as the tools for success exist.
How are the stadium reform plans going?
The stadium belongs to the city, the club was able to acquire it in usufruct for 25 years and we developed a two-stage plan, the first is to renew the lighting and the exterior, build boxes, changing rooms, offices… Then, in the second phase , the capacity will be increased from 15,000 to 25,000 spectators. This phase will start within a year, at the latest two years, because the stadium needs to be closed for at least 6 months.
Finally, what message do you send to the Almería fans in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world?
My message to all Almería fans in Spain and in the Arab world is that, God willing, we will honor you and fulfill your expectations. We are waiting for your support and that you honor us with your presence in the stadium.