Gerard Pique placed under investigation over £34 million Spanish Super Cup deal

Gerard Pique has been placed under investigation after being accused of earning £34million illegally to help relocate the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.

Pique’s company Kosmos received £34million in a deal with the Spanish FA to broker the move, which has seen four of the last five finals played in Saudi Arabia.

Spanish Judge Delia Rodrigo said there were ‘possible illegalities with criminal implications’ in the deal.  However, Pique who has always denied any illegality but is now in a group of people under official investigation.

The case has been looked into since 2022, when audio recordings between Pique and then-Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales were leaked.

Pique and the Spanish FA’s (RFEF) deal was initially brokered in 2020, which saw Cosmos received £3.4m, but its extension in 2020 has seen that figure snowball.

The Spanish FA has received £340m in moving the Spanish Super Cup, a tournament which dates back to 1982.

Next year’s final will again be held in Riyadh. It has been held there or in Jeddah every year since 2020 apart from 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rubiales was arrested in April after returning to Spain from the Dominican Republic.

He was taken to a police station and handed a court summons as part of the ongoing corruption probe linked to his time as head of the Spanish FA.