Bouncing back from the well

Cordoba dropped from La Liga to the fourth tier in just seven seasons but with smart management, a passionate fanbase and good owners they're looking up.

Some clubs become synonymous with a league, many in England will tell you the Championship table doesn't look right unless Preston and Bristol City are clogging up midtable, other teams meanwhile like to experience variety and Cordoba CF are definitely one of those sides.

Los Caliphs history is spread across 4 different tiers and 6 different league names. They've spent 9 seasons in La Liga, 34 in Segunda, 2 in the recently created Primera RFEF, 22 in Segunda B, 1 in Segunda RFEF and 4 in Tercera which is actually the fourth tier.

Right now though they're looking to establish themselves as a Segunda side after a Icarus style last decade where they flew close to the sun and in their first season back in Segunda they've done an amazing job led by talented Head Coach Ivan Ania and with the backing of the Bahrain state things are looking bright in this corner of Andalucia.

Albert Ferrer pulled off a miracle in 2013/14 when although his side finished 7th in Segunda they gained an unlikely promotion via the play-offs despite him coming in late February to take charge of the team. They were in the fortunate position after Barca B finished third and couldn't take part and despite picking up just 61 points come the play-offs they overcame Real Murcia in the semis, who incidentally would be relegated after failing to secure a professional license. The final saw them take on Canarians Las Palmas and a goalless draw at home was followed up by a 1-1 draw away to secure promotion. La Liga have changed that rule now so that if the game is tied the higher ranking side goes up.

Having stumbled their way into La Liga after a 43 year absence the side was ill equipped for the step up. Their season showed the gulf in quality between a side who had finished outside the top 6 in Segunda and La Liga and they were relegated in painful fashion with an 0-8 hammering at home to Barca and finished on just 20 points 15 adrift in what was in truth a low quality La Liga outside the top 3.

Their return to Segunda saw them finish fifth and in the play-offs on 65 points, they faced Girona in the semi finals but missed out narrowly 4-3 after a defeat in Montillivi.

The club was owned at this time by Carlos Gonzalez a businessman who had worked to take the club out of bankruptcy and push them on a new path. He eventually handed over the club to his son Alejandro who it’s fair to say didn’t endear himself to fans when he told them they were clients and that while they could have their say the ownership decided not them.

They slowly started to drop finishing 10th and 16th the following two seasons. the 16th place finish came with the club in the relegation battle for most of the season and the owner had sanctioned some big signings in January to try to keep the club in Segunda. Despite being 14 points adrift at one point they stayed up on the final day.

The Gonzalez family had sold up and Jesus Leon and Luis Oliver were the new group in charge. In a powerhouse of a Segunda season in 2018/19 which featured sides such as Osasuna, Granada, Malaga, Mallorca, Depor, Almeria, Real Oviedo, Real Zaragoza and Las Palmas.

The hiring of Francisco looked promising for Las Caliphs but in a sign of what was to unfold that season he resigned two months later just before the season started due to the clubs financial situation with them unable to make any major signings.

Los Caliphs had a dreadful season and after twelve years in the top two tiers their spell was over. Counting Francisco who never managed an official game they went through four head coaches, finished essentially last as Reus were removed from the league and thirteen points adrift of safety.

The third tier in Spanish football is known as the well as it’s so hard to get out of, back then it was regionalised with 102 teams in it and winning your league was no guarantee of promotion.

in November 2019 president Jose Leon was arrested as part of an investigation into corruption, misuse of funds and money laundering. The judge in charge of the case appointed two administrators to manage the club and they not only got rid of the entire board, they also found that the club was €10 million in debt. Within two weeks of Leons arrest the club were in administration and facing oblivion while also in a terrible state on the pitch. The players hadn’t been paid in three months and that was when everything changed.

Bahraini investment firm Infinity purchased the club for €3 million and immediately players and staff were paid what they were owed. This was the first step in building the club back. Cordoba suffered two defeats which saw them drop out of the promotion places in early March 2020. While the top two tiers eventually resumed the in theory non professional third tier didn’t qualify to carry on and it was decided that the table of matchday 28 would be final. Luckily the RFEF decided this would not mean relegation for any side and instead they would use this as a chance to reorganise the third tier into a third and fourth tier which would become Primera RFEF and Segunda RFEF.

The regionalised groups would fight for promotion to either Segunda or the newly named Primera RFEF and if sides failed to qualify they would then fight to avoid Segunda RFEF the new fourth tier during the 20/21 season.

Los Caliphs finished three points off the promotion place to Segunda in Phase 1 meaning they now had to battle to either stay in the third tier or drop into the fourth tier in phase 2 of a complicated system. The time they finished third a point off “safety” meaning they dropped into the fourth tier for the first time in 36 years.

None of this was held against the owners who it could already be seen were building foundations and investing in the club. Cordoba must have been the only side in the fourth tier to have a training camp abroad as they headed to Bahrain. Any doubts around how long the club would be lost in Segunda RFEF were consigned to history after they started the season with a 17 game unbeaten run.

They went on to not only secure promotion but also won the COPA Federacion a competition for lower ranked sides who didn’t qualify for the Copa del Rey and a competition held in high regard by clubs at the lower levels.

Cordoba is a proud city and one that many outside of Spain don’t know enough about, people fly into Malaga Airport and head straight down the coast to the likes of Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella and they miss the beauty of Malaga city and Cordoba.

Cordoba has ancient streets and you can often feel like you’re in a different country due to hundreds of decades of it being part of an Islamic Caliphate the feeling is Moorish. In summer the heat can be all consuming in what is Europes hottest city and leave you feeling like there is no air.

The Nuevo Arcangel can leave opposing teams feeling the same way, the fans are tight to the pitch since the stadium was redeveloped and when you drive past it heading into the city it really stands out.

Back in the third tier, they started slow but soon established themselves a force in Primera RFEF finishing a respectable ninth in their debut season. The 23/24 season was a blockbuster for the third tier. In the Northern part Depor were standouts but the Southern division was full of historic names with Castellon, Recre, Cordoba, Merida and Malaga in the mix.

Cordoba hired Ivan Ania, a promising young coach who had done a great job at fellow Andalucian side Algeciras threatening on a couple of occasions to take them up to Segunda. The owners tend to take a backseat and let the experts run the club and the results have been extraordinary.

Los Caliphs finished second, seven points clear of pre-season favourites Malaga and just five behind champions Castellon. Their season was based on a strong home record and a talented side picked up for very little money.

Antonio Casas a striker born in the city came up with fifteen goals to help fire them up, talented midfielder Yussi Diarra caught the eye centrally and then they had tricky winger Simo Bouzaidi creating chances and chipping in with goals. In the play-offs they faced Ponferradina a side who had been relegated and beat them home and away to set up a final with Barca Atletic.

A 1-1 draw away in Barcelona meant it all came down to a home game at the Nuevo Arcangel. The atmosphere was febrile. When people think of B teams they think of young players not exposed to atmospheres like this but when you go through the Barca team that day, they had Marc Casado, Hector Fort and Marc Guiu all in their starting eleven, all in their way have gone to prove themselves this season as players capable of playing in hostile atmospheres and in the spotlight.

Indeed Hector Fort would open the scoring although not quieten down the Arcangel. Cordoba struck back quickly as they bombarded Barca B with a high press and flooded forward. The crucial goal that took them back to Segunda came from that high press, and while the city can often leave you breathless with the humidity so too did the Cordoba side that night with their intensity.

The player who lost the ball that day due to the Cordoba press was none other than Marc Casado a player who has transmitted calm for the first team at Barca this season.

Cordoba meanwhile despite gaining promotion saw some of their key players leave, Yussi Diarra signed for Tenerife, Simo Bouzaidi moved to Eldense. Two sides who would be competing for safety with the Andalucian side. Antonio Casas the homegrown striker was linked to Portuguese clubs but in what turned out to be a crucial decision the club rejected all offers. The club paid no money for players but signed smartly with players such as Theo Zidane coming in and didn’t bring in lots of older players as can often be the case to just stay up. The club targeted younger, hungrier players with something to prove.

The results have been spectacular, as we reach the end of February they sit in the top half, the relegation battle they were expected to be in has never materialised, Antonio Casas is closing in on 10 goals, Jacobo Gonzalez a free signing from Alcorcon has come up with some clutch goals and Theo Zidane is starting to blossom and show why he was in the Real Madrid academy and not just because of his surname. Ivan Ania has been tied down to a long term deal given the fantastic job he’s done since taking charge of the team that’s a huge bonus.

After decades of financial meltdowns and yo-yoing between divisions it feels like the foundations of the club are solid, the owners have extended their support by renaming the stadium and shirt sponsor to match the Bahraini owned cycling team name of Bahrain Victorious meaning the club should have some more financial muscle behind it. The club has been a real addition to Segunda with the fanbase and stadium and everything feels positive right now with owners who get the club and manage it not as a plaything but as something to develop and cherish.

This is a club who has faced financial oblivion on multiple occasions, has gone down to the bottom of the well and come back not just fighting back but united and in a strong place and their journey is going to be one to watch out for in Spanish football going forward.