Former star defender Gerard Piqué has become the focus of the Spanish judiciary due to irregularities in the signing of contracts in the Super Cup affair. An official investigation has been opened on suspicion of “possible breaches of the law and criminal involvement”.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is still not getting a break: ex-Barca professional and former international Gerard Piqué, who works as a marketer, is now also being investigated. A court in Madrid has opened an official investigation against the 37-year-old on suspicion of “possible breaches of the law and criminal involvement” in the corruption scandal surrounding the sale of the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
This is the next highlight in the scandal that has been simmering in Spanish soccer for almost two years. In recent weeks, raids have already taken place at the association’s headquarters as well as in other buildings. In addition, former association president Luis Rubiales, who achieved worldwide fame primarily due to his kissing affair at the Women’s World Cup, was arrested on allegations of bribery.
The focus is on the contracts first concluded in 2018 for the relocation and staging of the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. Since 2019 – with the exception of the 2020/21 coronavirus season – the cup, including a new tournament format with four teams, has been held on the Arabian Peninsula. However, according to the Spanish judiciary, this was the result of bribes and other prohibited payments.
Pique continues to deny allegations
An important partner in the signing of the contract: Piqué’s marketing company Kosmos. The first contract is said to have brought the Spanish FA up to €120 million – with a further €240 million to be paid for subsequent games until 2029. Negotiations – at least for the original deal – were always conducted with Kosmos, which has also made headlines in the past due to a multi-billion euro disaster in the reform of the Davis Cup. The publication of recorded conversations between Piqué and Rubiales had already triggered the scandal in 2022.
In the meantime, the court saw enough suspicious facts and irregularities in the “Piqué case” to open an investigation. This decision was made on the basis of a recurring clause in all previous Super Cup contracts: Regardless of the marketing success of the cup, Piqué and his company Kosmos are entitled to a guaranteed annual commission payment of four million euros.
Like Rubiales before him, the former world-class central defender refutes the accusations in connection with the corruption scandal, instead the Spaniard mentioned several times that the business deals make him “proud”.
