How did the Spanish Super Cup end up in Saudi Arabia?
In 2018, Luis Rubiales described LaLiga’s plan to play a regular season match in Miami as “not good for football” and claimed it “helps to generate tension and violence”. It came months after a Spanish Super Cup was played in Morocco, but Rubiales claimed that it was different “because the Super Cup does not harm the values of the sport, as is the case with Miami”.
Months later, a deal was agreed to take the competition to Saudi Arabia for three years in an agreement later extended to 2029. The contract will earn the RFEF a fee in the range of 240 million to 320 million euros over the course of it if it is fulfilled.
The fee can cover 40 million euros per tournament, with half of the total fee going to the clubs involved and the other half goes towards the RFEF and its projects for the development of football.
In the 2022 edition, Real Madrid earned €12.5 million, while Athletic Club, their opponents in the final, walked away with €2.5 million. Beaten semi-finalists Barcelona and Atlético Madrid brought in €6.8 million and €4.5 million respectively.
The difference in income between the clubs has been subject to harsh criticism from some sectors of the Spanish press and fans alike, furious to see the Clásico duo paid more simply for their status. It remains true that even if they could both earn more from their rivals even if both sides fall to defeat in the semi-finals.
Saudi Arabia were one of several candidates to present a bid to the RFEF to host the tournament, having been introduced by Kosmos, the company belonging to then Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, though Rubiales insists that the Spanish federation did not pay any commission to the centre-back.
"We have good links with the Middle East," Pique said in April. "They wanted to take football competitions there and we spoke with Rubiales to see if he could be interested in taking the Supercopa. Saudi Arabia wasn't the only option, we spoke with Miami, and the RFEF had an offer from Qatar."
The Saudi Arabian bid was eventually the victor, and the most lucrative for the RFEF. The funds received by the RFEF have led to the restructuring of the lower levels of Spanish football, replacing the Segunda B set-up with Primera RFEF and Segunda RFEF, while also investing in youth football projects.
The tournament and its destination has faced its fair share of critics. Some have questioned the ethics behind the RFEF organising a tournament and appointing referees when they can make more money from certain teams qualifying. Others point to the empty stands, such as when just 7,000 fans attended the King Fahd Stadium for Athletic’s semi-final win over Atleti last year. Even harsher critics question the need to add more fixtures to an already packed schedule by bringing in a final four format.
"I think it's right to take it abroad, we wanted to do it but they didn't let us,” an always opinionated LaLiga president Javier Tebas said. “As an idea I don't oppose it, but then all the intricacies behind what you get paid or don't get paid... there are some issues that I don't agree with, with the issue of distribution, especially for clubs other than Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Whatever happens, the show will go on. With a deal for a further six editions in Saudi Arabia at least, the debate will rumble on for a while yet. With Luis Rubiales up for election in 2024, any opponents may turn to Saudi Arabia as a topic where they could win votes, but the former Levante defender stood unopposed in 2020. He may well do so again in 2024.
Far from the two-legged battle to start the season in the summer, it’s time to wrap up in the winter months and take in a four-team final with it all to play for. And if you’re Luis Rubiales, hope for a Clásico final to line the RFEF’s pockets.