FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been accused of corruption after agreeing to take €6 million in the Saudi Arabia-Super Cup deal.
According to El Confidencial, the saga might involve RFEF President Luis Rubiales as per recordings and documents acquired by the aforementioned source. Pique and Rubiales colluded to pressure authorities in Saudi Arabia to pay a sum of €24 million to host the Spanish Super Cup in the country.
The leaked documents and audio further reveal that Rubiales agreed to pay Pique around €6 million for the deal and tried to hide the Barça defender’s involvement in the contracts and records. Pique had helped Rubiales secure the deal to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, with the agreement being finalized in 2019.
The RFEF president had confirmed that the defender had helped initiate negotiations via a company named Kosmos, in which he is a shareholder.
The report from El Confidencial claims that Pique and Rubiales had been in discussions from 2018, with the Barcelona veteran seemingly suggesting the idea of making the tournament with four teams playing the semi-finals before the final to boost the commercial value.
Rubiales was on board with the plan and gave Pique the green light to explore possible buyers for the TV rights. At the same time, the initial idea was to host the tournament either at the Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou before the move to Saudi Arabia was locked in on.
