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IGNACIO TYLKO
Monday, 18 April 2022, 18:53
A new scandal has emerged that involves the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and Kosmos, a production company owned by FC Barcelona's Gerard Piqué, regarding the relocation of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia in a six-year contract.
Leaked audio files, released by El Confidencial, have revealed that the RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, made a deal with Piqué to relocate the tournament in exchange for millions in commission. The contract, which was signed with Sela (a Saudi Arabian sports marketing firm), guaranteed that the RFEF took 40 million euros for every Super Cup, while Kosmos received four million.
El Confidencial also shed light on the conversations between Piqué and Rubiales, in which it's clear how the deal was made and how it especially favourited FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"Look, Rubi, if it's about money; if [Real Madrid] would go for eight million, then you pay eight to Madrid and eight to Barça. To the others you can pay one or two [million]... That's nineteen [million], and the Federation can keep six. Instead of keeping nothing, you can keep six. We can pressure Saudi Arabia and we can get [the money]. We can say to them that if not, then Madrid won't go...," Piqué said in one of the leaked conversations.
Those words spoken by Piqué were in reference to the comments Rubiales made in which he assured that Real Madrid would not contemplate the possibility of playing the Spanish Super Cup outside the country for anything less than eight million euros.
Piqué and Rubiales had also planned for an alternative scenario in the case Real Madrid refused to play outside Spain. Barcelona's Nou Camp came up as a viable replacement, as it was "the biggest stadium".
However, as the capital's team came onboard, negotiations with Riyadh intensified to take the tournament to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, in some audio files it's Piqué himself who explained to Rubiales how the proposed commissions would work.
In the end, a deal was struck with Saudi Arabia to play the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh for the following six years from 2020, despite being a country with human rights issues and where women are discriminated against.
An excited Rubiales told Piqué of the news when the deal was finalised. "Congratulations, Geri. And I'm not talking about your performance yesterday or your goal. I'm referring to the fact it's past midnight and the deal with Saudi Arabia is solid. Thank you for everything and I'm here for whatever you need. Take care, my friend," Rubiales said.
The Spanish Football Federation have not denied the information, but they have sent out a message of calm and assured that it's old news, as all this information was available in 2019 and it was explained in an assembly where everything was passed in a vote.
In any case, the RFEF reinforced the notion that there was nothing illegal about the 24-million-euro commission that Gerard Piqué's Kosmos received as the middleman in "an operation that contributes positively to Spanish football".
They insisted that it's a 240-million-euro deal for Spanish football, in which a 10% commission is paid to the company that proposed the deal, in this case Kosmos, and which was also paid by Saudi Arabia.
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