Mohamed Al-Khereiji: 'We're going to work to create something very special for Almería'

Mohamed Al-Khereiji, the new owner and president of UD Almería, has given a press conference to unveil his plans for action: 'We're going to work with the goal of creating something very special for Almería. I'm very happy to be part of this project.' The Rojiblanco leader clarified: 'I would've liked to make this appearance after achieving promotion to the top division, but it wasn't possible. Yesterday was a sad and difficult day. I saw the players crying in the dressing room. We can turn any problem into an opportunity and that's what we want to do.' He wants to be close to his team and his Club; In fact, he's watched from the authorities box the last few league and play-offs matches. He travelled to Oviedo with the UD Almería travelling squad and was with the players and coaching staff at all times. As I said, I came without a return flight.'

Mohamed Al-Khereiji is familiar with Almería and the Club, having collaborated in the previous stage due to his ties to private enterprise, the commercial, and sports sectors. He emphasised that, like many people in his country and around the world, 6 years ago I didn't know the team existed or where the city was. Now all that has changed,' although under his leadership, his only focus is 'on building the tallest possible building, but with a solid foundation and going floor by floor.'

As Mohammed emphasised, one of the main and most immediate challenges is 'getting promoted to the first division and we have to do it, but always at the top. We can't wait until the last minute.' To achieve this, he will analyse what happened this season and how to approach next season with the greatest possible guarantees. He had complete confidence in Rubi.

One of his companies owns the Stadium where Cristiano Ronaldo's team, Al-Nassr, plays, a state-of-the-art facility with top-of-the-line amenities. On Wednesday, the Carlos Tartiere Stadium, due to its design and proximity to the stands, reminded him of the Saudi-owned venue, which is his reference point for the new UD Almería Stadium. 'If we want to grow in Spain and Europe, we need to have a different stadium than the current one, where the team feel close to their fans.' Therefore, he announced that the second phase of the remodelling of the 'Mediterráneo' will be completed 'before the end of next season.'

The new head of the Club attached great importance to the Sports Complex 'which is taking us longer than we thought.' Despite this, he is taking on the project, describing it as 'very important for the Club and its future in all aspects.'

Mohamed Al-Khereiji sees potential in the team and the Club, praises the work done so far, and calls for greater ambition and continued growth year after year 'to become something bigger.' He will create a board of directors with members from different sectors to strengthen the commercial side and the Club as a whole, regardless of the above. This financial aspect will serve to offset the loss of TV rights revenue due to the Club's failure to advance to the top flight.

On another note, the owner of UD Almería, who represents a group of Saudi investors, revealed that he recently held a long meeting with Javier Tebas to explain all the projects he has planned for the Almería club.