Gerard Pique Denies Any Wrongdoing In The Super Cup-Saudi Arabia Debacle

Written By Onyeka Daniel

Barcelona defender, Gerald Pique has denied any wrongdoing after audio emerged early on Monday morning which recorded him in conversation with the President of the Spanish Football Federation over the organization of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

More Details

Pique, through his company had helped brokered the deal that took the Super Cup to the Far East and it also emerged that he received money for it.

LATEST POSTS

Leaked conversations between Pique and Spanish FA (RFEF) chairman Luis Rubiales detailed how the Barcelona man, acting on behalf of his investment firm Kosmos, brokered a deal to sell the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, with Pique’s group earning €4m per tournament until the deal ends in 2026.

“Here, the only illegal thing is that they took some private audio and leaked it to the press, you don’t have to be very smart to know who is behind it. It’s news that came out in 2019. Look at the archives. And it wasn’t news.”

“Now in 2022 they have leaked the audio and now it’s news,” Pique said via a press conference on Twitch. Pique also defended his ability to be impartial in the deal.

“I bring an opportunity to the Spanish Football Federation. Before changing the format, the competition made €120,000, after the movement they are making €40m.”

“I know how to separate what is a commercial agreement with what I have done all of my life which is play football. I haven’t received any help. If you’re telling me that the competition itself will be affected by a commercial agreement, then you have no idea who I am.”

“In these three years you can see whether there has been any effect on the competition or if they have helped us to win when Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid won.”

“We [Kosmos] have good links with the Middle East, not just in Saudi Arabia. They wanted to take football competitions there and, seeing the panoramic, we opted to speak with Rubiales to see if he could be interested in taking the Supercopa there. He further added.

Meanwhile…

The Supercopa was traditionally contested between the winners of La Liga and the winners of the Copa del Rey in Spain. But in 2019 it was announced that the competition would be expanded to four teams, also including the runners-up in La Liga and the Copa, and taken to King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Read Also: Vergogna!!! How Jorginho Cost Italy World Cup Qualification

Luis Rubiales is scheduled to appear before the parliament later on to shed more light on the issue while Pique hasn’t been formally charged yet. He also claimed that his 10% commission fee is relatively low for these kinds of deals and denied any suggestions that it may have been immoral or illegal for him to negotiate while still being involved with one of the club’s involved.

“[The audio was] leaked with bad intentions and making news of something which two years ago was not news,” he added.

Do you have a story tip?
Kindly Email: keepup@bettitude.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube

(Football Espana)