By Songu Michael
A Madrid court on Thursday initiated a formal investigation into former Barcelona player Gerard Pique as part of a probe into suspected corruption surrounding the relocation of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
The investigation is focused on Spanish football federation contracts signed since 2018, including one orchestrated by disgraced former federation president Luis Rubiales to have Saudi Arabia host the Spanish Super Cup. The contracts in question, which are valued at 40 million euros annually ($43 million), were facilitated by Kosmos, a company owned by the former Barcelona and Spain defender Pique.
The court has identified potential illegal activities with criminal implications within the contracts, particularly highlighting a clause guaranteeing the payment of a four million euro commission per year to Kosmos.
Consequently, Pique has been included in a group of individuals under official investigation in connection with the alleged corruption scandal that has shaken Spanish football. In March, Spanish authorities conducted searches at 11 locations, including the RFEF’s Madrid headquarters and Rubiales’ residence in Granada, as part of the corruption probe. Rubiales resigned as RFEF president in September after being embroiled in controversy for inappropriately kissing Women’s World Cup star Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s victory in the Sydney final in August.
In 2022, prosecutors launched an investigation into the Super Cup deal following the leak of audio recordings between Rubiales and Pique discussing substantial commission payments.
Rubiales has consistently defended the legality of the agreement to move the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, while Pique has maintained that the deal was legitimate, expressing pride in his involvement. The investigation was later expanded in April to include Rubiales’ successor, Pedro Rocha.
The Spanish Super Cup was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2020, returning to Spain the following year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the subsequent three editions have all been hosted in Saudi Arabia.
Pique participated in two Spanish Super Cup matches in Saudi Arabia with Barcelona before retiring from professional football in November 2022.
