Real Zaragoza relegated to Spanish third division for the first time in 77 years. Real Zaragoza departs professional football and moves to the Primera RFEF. The club faces financial losses and a mass exodus of players. Fans are demanding changes in the management.
Real Zaragoza ended the season with a historic anti-record: for the first time in 77 years, the club was relegated to Spain’s third division — Primera RFEF. After 13 years in Segunda and decades in the elite of Spanish football, the team found itself outside the professional ranks. This came as a blow not only to the fans, but to the entire football system of the region.
The failure has been linked to decisions by the current owners, who arrived in 2022. The group led by Jorge Mas, as well as Juan Forcén, Pablo Jiménez de Parga, James Carpenter, Jim Miller, and Joseph Oughourlian, promised to bring the club back to La Liga, but the result was the opposite. Mariano Aguilar, Fernando López, Txema Indias, and Gabi Fernández were also involved in management. All of them found themselves at the center of criticism after the catastrophic season.
The economic impact of relegation is significant, but not critical for the future of the infrastructure. The La Romareda stadium project has not been frozen: construction payments have been reduced by 75%, and bankruptcy procedures have been suspended for five years. However, the club will lose about 10 million euros due to decreased revenue from TV, sponsors, and season tickets. Part of the losses will be offset by a special support fund for relegated teams — around 1.5 million euros.
The stadium move also played a role: after leaving La Romareda, the team failed to adapt to the temporary Ibercaja Estadio, where they won only four games all season. Next year, the club will continue at the same stadium. The salary cap in the new league will drop to 5 million euros, which will almost completely change the squad. Sales are expected of players who were out on loan, such as Adrián Liso, Pau Sans, and Samed Bazdar.
Fans have already voiced their dissatisfaction with the management and are demanding either a complete overhaul of the leadership or the sale of the club to a more interested group. Despite interest from potential buyers, the owners are not yet ready to make a deal. Behind the scenes, there is talk of a possible redistribution of shares among the current shareholders, particularly strengthening the position of Josep Oughourlian and the departure of Pablo Jiménez de Parga.
On the sporting front, the club is preparing for a major overhaul. Most players will leave the team, and sporting director Lalo Arantegui is already working on a new project for Primera RFEF. Ibai Gómez is being considered for the position of head coach, with negotiations close to completion. David Navarro will return to administrative duties. Among the possible new signings are Rubén Díez (Jamelli) from Ceuta, Jaume Jardí from Nàstic, and goalkeeper Diego Fuoli from Sabadell.
The situation at Real Zaragoza is a reminder that even major clubs can find themselves on the verge of disappearing from professional football. For comparison, Spanish youth football recently saw another striking story: Real Madrid's youth team pulled off a come-from-behind victory in the Champions Cup final, highlighting the difference in trajectories among Spain's leading clubs.
For reference: Real Zaragoza is one of the most decorated clubs in Spain outside Madrid and Barcelona, with nine national trophies to its name. The last time the team played outside the professional leagues was in 1949. Relegation to Primera RFEF means not only a loss of status, but also the urgent need to restructure the entire club. In the coming years, the fate of the new stadium project and the return to professional football will depend on decisions made by the current owners and the reaction of the fans.
