A La Liga club has found itself at the centre of an unusual controversy involving the battle to avoid relegation from Spain's top division.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing Semafor, the owners of an unnamed Spanish club placed a multimillion-dollar bet against their own team's survival before the final round of the season through the Kalshi prediction market. The move was reportedly designed as a financial hedge against the risk of relegation to the Segunda Division, which could have resulted in significant losses in ticketing and broadcasting revenue.
According to the report, the club faced the prospect of losing millions of dollars if it dropped out of La Liga. In the end, the team lost its final match of the season 1-0 but managed to remain in the top flight thanks to results elsewhere.
Semafor did not identify the club involved. However, social media users have speculated that the team may have been Osasuna. The Pamplona-based side lost 1-0 to Getafe in the final round but avoided relegation after Girona and Elche played out a draw.
Following a dramatic conclusion to the campaign, Girona, Mallorca and Real Oviedo were relegated from La Liga, while Osasuna preserved their place in Spain's highest division despite defeat on the final day.
The transaction was reportedly carried out through Kalshi with the involvement of Game Point Capital, a company that helps sports organisations manage financial risks. Semafor reported that trading firm Susquehanna took the opposite side of the deal.
The story has generated widespread debate because it was not a traditional sports wager, but rather an attempt to use a prediction market as a financial hedging tool in professional sport.
