It is a relocation that has caused a lot of talk in Spain since the Spanish Super Cup is played every year in January in Saudi Arabia (four editions since 2019).

Basically, everyone had understood that the Spanish federation had taken a huge check (24 million euros per year at the beginning, 40 million now) to expose Real, Barça, and two clubs in Riyadh who can join the party according to changing criteria, all despite good sporting sense at a time of year when the players would especially like to recover physically.

10% for Pique in fine

But according to the revelations this Monday from

El Confidencial

, the economic details of the operation are even more scabrous than one could have feared: Gérard Piqué himself would have received millions of euros in commission via Kosmos, the company at the origin of the deal between the Saudi kingdom and the Spanish federation, led by Rubiales.

Several audio recordings broadcast by the Iberian media leave little room for doubt.

Thus, in 2019, Pique explained to Rubiales the underside of the discussions: “Let's see, if it's a money affair, for 8 million Real will say OK.

So 8 for Real, 8 for Barça, and the others we give them 2 million and 1 million.

And that leaves 6 million for you, the Federation.

And if we put a little pressure on the Saudis, we can perhaps scratch one or two million more”.

El Confidencial

broadcasts a later recording, this time from Rubiales, which is addressed to Pique: "Geri, congratulations, and I'm not referring to the great game yesterday and your goal.

I am talking about the fact that it is noon and therefore the agreement with the Saudis is validated.

Thank you for everything, I'm here for anything you may need.

Take care, my friend.

A conversation that shortly precedes the formalization of a very profitable agreement for the Spanish Federation, which has always denied having paid the money itself to Kosmos, the decisive intermediary in the case.

Pique's company would have received 10% of the sum provided for in the agreement, "a standard commission for the market", according to relatives of the Catalan captain interviewed by

El Pais

.

A questionable sporting interest

The latter take the opportunity to recall that the relocation of the event has enabled the federation to multiply these revenues, increased from 120,000 euros to 40 million thanks to this change of format.

On the side of the federation, which filed a complaint for theft of documents on April 14, all the details of the agreement were presented and validated by the general assembly.

However, neither Rubiales nor Pique will emerge from this story.

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