ARCHIVED - Real Murcia FC threatened by the bankruptcy of Santa Mónica Sports

The company is owned by club president Jesús Samper, who holds 90% of shares in Real Murcia

Santa Mónica Sports, the flagship company of the group presided over by businessman Jesús Samper, has been forced into bankruptcy proceedings, casting doubts over the future of various business concerns and projects including Real Murcia Football Club and Premursa, the company which was formed to develop the first Paramount Theme Park in Europe in the municipality of Alhama de Murcia.

Some reports published in the press suggest that the total amount of outstanding debt owed by the Santa Mónica group could be around 90 million euros, and inevitably this will have an effect on the eleven other companies contained within the group, among which are Santa Mónica Financial Services and WSM World

Sailing Management.
Listed companies:
Santa Mónica España ( founded 30 years ago)  
Santa Mónica Argentina
Santa Mónica Chile
Santa Mónica USA
Santa Mónica Media
Santa Mónica Financial Services
Santa Mónica Advances
U-Media
Polideportivos & Fitness
WSM World Sailing Management ( who managed the Audi World Cup)
Premursa , promotor of the Paramount Park development in Alhama de Murcia. This has a filial Premursa Lifestyle, which is set up to promote the Lifestyle Centre of the development

The creditors’ meeting called by Santa Mónica Sports has been made necessary by the demands of at least one of those who are owed money by the company, which include various football clubs for which the group manages publicity and advertising activities, and the courts in Madrid have taken the management of the company out of the hands of Jesús Samper and entrusted it to the administrator firm “Legal y Económico-Administradores Concursales”. This is the same company currently managing the financial affairs of Banco Madrid, which is currently being wound down.

Football fans in Murcia will be concerned by the news, as it makes it more complicated for an agreement to be negotiated with Hacienda concerning the 11.5 million euros owed by Real Murcia to the tax authorities. At the same time the future of the club depends on the successful re-negotiation of another 30 million euros owed to other creditors, and this too will be placed in jeopardy by the failure of the company owned by the man who also holds 90% of the shares in Real Murcia.

The team is currently third in the table of Second Division B Group 1, but it may be that the efforts of the players and coaching staff come to nothing if these debts cannot be settled.
 

Image: Jesús Samper, Copyright Murcia Today