Raúl Martínez and Raúl Rubira celebrate a goal.
/ Real Murcia Press
While Real Murcia’s first team fights to avoid relegation to Segunda RFEF, their reserve side, Imperial, is dreaming of moving up to Spain’s fourth tier. The B team has become one of the few bright spots for the club owned by Felipe Moreno, finishing the regular season in Group XIII of Tercera División in a playoff spot for promotion.
This Saturday, Imperial will begin their postseason journey with the autonomous community semifinals against Mazarrón. After missing out on the top five last season—finishing eighth with 49 points—the team has made a significant leap forward this campaign.
Despite a mid-season shake-up in November, when Adrián Colunga left the bench to take over the first team, Imperial’s aspirations remained unshaken. Under new coach José Larrosa, the team finished second, behind only champions Cieza, with consistency as their hallmark. While winning has become nearly impossible for the senior squad, Imperial has racked up 17 wins, eight draws, and just nine losses.
Their attacking numbers also stand out: with 59 goals scored, only Cieza (also 59) had a better offensive record. Now that the regular season is over, Imperial will face Mazarrón in the first leg of the semifinals on Saturday at the Artés Carrasco stadium. If they win that tie, they will advance to the regional final. A victory there would send them to the national phase, where one more playoff round would secure promotion to Segunda RFEF.
### A Complicated Past
The matchup between Real Murcia Imperial and Mazarrón is for a spot in the regional final for promotion to Segunda Federación, but there is a recent history of affiliation behind this fixture. During the 2023–2024 season, both clubs were part of the same structure.
In summer 2023, Felipe Moreno, who had taken over Real Murcia months earlier, pushed for a formula he has since refined: seeking talent from outside. The businessman from Córdoba struck a partnership agreement with Mazarrón, effectively turning the coastal club into a kind of “Real Murcia C.” The aim was clear: create a sporting bridge to ease the arrival of non-EU international players to Real Murcia.
The deal caused an uproar in Mazarrón, especially when it was revealed that the team could not be promoted unless Imperial also moved up. Coach Juan Andreo resigned upon learning the news. That season, Mazarrón won the Autonomous Preference but could not ascend because Imperial failed to secure promotion—a dramatic playoff loss to Coria (4-1) shattered the reserve team’s dream and, indirectly, Mazarrón’s hopes.
The following year, without the problematic affiliation, Mazarrón managed to earn promotion to Tercera División. Now, two years later, fate reunites them again, with promotion at stake, but in a very different context. Mazarrón no longer depends on Imperial; instead, it must eliminate them to keep dreaming of reaching Segunda RFEF.