Marbella FC
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| Full name | Marbella Fútbol Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Blanquillos (Little Whites) | ||
| Founded | 1997 | ||
| Ground |
Estadio Municipal de Marbella Marbella, Spain |
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| Capacity | 7,000 | ||
| President | Zhao Zhen | ||
| Head coach | José Manuel Aira | ||
| League | Segunda Federación – Group 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Tercera Federación – Group 9, 1st of 16 (champions) | ||
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Marbella Fútbol Club, formerly known as Unión Deportiva Marbella, is a Spanish football team based in Marbella, the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1997 it currently plays in Segunda Federación – Group 4, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal de Marbella.
History
Unión Deportiva Marbella was founded in 1997 immediately after the defunction of Club Atlético Marbella, which was born 38 years before and was owned by Jesús Gil, also the chairman of Atlético de Madrid. In 2000–01, the team won its Tercera División group but came second to Real Betis B in the promotion play-offs. It subsequently qualified to the Copa del Rey for the first time, losing 0–1 at home to CD Díter Zafra in the preliminary round. In 2003, it was finally promoted to Segunda División B.
Marbella was taken over by leading businessmen Ian Radford and Wayne Elliott of the HI Group, an international sports, leisure, property and travel company in September 2007. In 2009, the club contested the play-offs for promotion to Segunda División for the first time, losing 2–1 on aggregate to Lorca Deportiva. In the ensuing domestic cup season, it reached the last 32 before an 8–0 aggregate loss to Atlético; the league campaign ended with relegation after seven years in the third tier.
On 28 June 2013 Unión was renamed Marbella Fútbol Club, by consent of the Russian ownership presided by Alexander Grinberg, in order to appeal to a wider foreign fanbase. At the end of the season, it ended four years in the fourth division with a 3–2 aggregate win over CD Eldense after extra time in the play-offs. By finishing second in the regular season, Marbella played in the 2018 Segunda División B play-offs, and lost on penalties in the first round to Celta de Vigo B.
Grinberg sold the club to Chinese investor Zhao Zhen in November 2018. In 2019–20, the team again came second and qualified for the play-offs, where all games were held in the local area due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, they lost 2–0 in the first round to SCR Peña Deportiva. A league restructuring meant that Marbella were relegated from the last season of the Segunda División B in 2020–21, dropping to the fifth-tier Tercera Federación.
After two years in the fifth tier, Marbella achieved promotion in April 2023 as champions of their group. Goalkeeper Alberto Lejárraga celebrated the occasion by coming out as gay.
Club background
- Atlético Marbella: 1947–1997
- UD Marbella: 1997–2013
- Marbella FC: 2013–present
Season to season
- As UD Marbella
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- As Marbella FC
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- 13 seasons in Segunda División B
- 1 season in Segunda Federación
- 9 seasons in Tercera División
- 2 seasons in Tercera Federación/Tercera División RFEF
Current squad
- As of 28 September 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
Former players
Former coaches
Stadium
Marbella plays its home games at Estadio Municipal de Marbella, which has a capacity of 7,300 spectators. It is a fairly basic oval-shaped stadium with one small covered stand.
Affiliated clubs
The following club is currently affiliated with Marbella FC:
- Hyderabad FC (2020–present)