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FOOTBALL

Piqué’s company made €24M from Spanish Super Cup being played in Saudi Arabia

The Spanish football federation arranged for a commission of €24 million ($25.9 million) to be paid to Kosmos, the sports events company founded by Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, as part of the Spanish Super Cup moving to Saudi Arabia, a report in the Spanish press said on Monday.

Published: 19 April 2022 09:36 CEST
Piqué's company made €24M from Spanish Super Cup being played in Saudi Arabia
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) negotiated a €24 million commission for Kosmos, the sports events company chaired by Barcelona's defender Gerard Piqué. Photo: Pau BARRENA/AFP

According to El Confidencial, the contract negotiated by the federation includes Kosmos receiving €4 million for each of the six tournaments to be played in Saudi Arabia from 2020, while the federation receives €40 million for each competition.

“Piqué had a key role in the negotiations for the Spanish Super Cup to be hosted in Saudi Arabia, and throughout this process enjoyed preferential treatment from (federation president) Luis Rubiales, for reasons yet to be determined.

“A spokesperson for Piqué has denied that he received any special treatment,” El Confidencial wrote on Monday.

The first Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia took place in January 2020 between Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Valencia, with Real Madrid beating Atlético in the final.

Before the tournament, Rubiales confirmed in a press conference that Kosmos had participated in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia.

He said the federation had made no direct payment to the company, avoiding any conflict of interest and a breach of its code of ethics.

According to Marca on Monday, the federation believe “this information does not say anything new compared to what was made public in 2019”.

Gerard Piqué has responded to the scandal by saying that “everything we have done is legal” and when asked about a possible conflict of interests, the Barça and Spain defender argued that “a commercial issue has nothing to do with a result on the football field”.

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FOOTBALL

Disgraced former Spanish football chief ‘forcefully kissed’ England star

Disgraced former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales behaved inappropriately towards England players after the Women's World Cup final, according to Football Association chairwoman Debbie Hewitt.

Published: 7 December 2023 08:26 CET
Disgraced former Spanish football chief 'forcefully kissed' England star

World governing body FIFA in October imposed a three-year ban from all football activities on Rubiales over his conduct at the match, which included kissing Spanish player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.

European champions England lost the final in Sydney 1-0.

FIFA has now published its findings into the case, saying it had been tempted to impose a more severe sanction. The FIFA disciplinary committee said Rubiales had acted with “a sense of complete impunity” at the game on August 20.

“The committee could not stress enough that — regardless of the emotional state he was in during and after the match — (Rubiales’) behaviour was inexcusable and unacceptable, especially considering his high rank within the football ecosystem at the time,” it said.

Hewitt was asked to give evidence and the report includes a summary of her submission.

READ ALSO: Death of the Iberian macho: What the Rubiales kiss uproar says about Spain

According to the report, Hewitt said Rubiales “cupped and stroked” the face of England’s Laura Coombs and “seemingly forcefully kissed Lucy Bronze on her face” at the presentation ceremony.

Hewitt added she “felt deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed” at the way Rubiales greeted the Spanish players, which included tapping one on the bottom. According to the report, she also noted Rubiales kissing Hermoso “fully and forcibly on the mouth”.

In his response, Rubiales accused Hewitt of “blatantly” lying or “speaking from ignorance” in relation to the kiss. Rubiales, who resigned from his position in September after initially vowing not to stand down, indicated his intention to appeal against the ban on the day it was issued.

Five days after resigning as Spain’s football chief, Rubiales appeared before a judge investigating a complaint of sexual assault over the Hermoso incident.

Rubiales has repeatedly insisted the kiss was consensual.

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