Popular Spain refusal of the Saudi hosting of Super Championship
The announcement of the Kingdom’s choice to host the Spanish Super League was met with popular disapproval in the country to protest the crimes of the Saudi regime and its violations of human rights.
The Spanish newspaper “Marca” held a referendum for the masses of the public opinion on the choice of the Kingdom as the venue for the championship, where the masses refused to hold the championship on the territory of the Kingdom.
Almost 90 percent of the Spanish public rejected the idea of the Super Championship, which the Spanish Football Federation decided to play in the Kingdom, for 40 million euros a year, with the participation of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Atletico Madrid clubs, at the beginning of the new year in Jeddah.
Only 10 percent of voters supported the idea, compared to 90 percent who rejected it because of human rights violations in the Kingdom and lack of respect for women.
Spain midfielder Peru Boquete condemned the kingdom’s choice. It is a state that violates human rights. Until one year, women could not drive cars or enter stadiums.”
Apart from human rights, the Spanish public is not in favor of traveling too far for the Super Championship and favors a closer country like Morocco, which hosted last year’s Super Cup in Tangier between Barcelona and Seville.
Gerrard Pique played the leading role in the Spanish supermarket negotiations in the Kingdom, as a businessman away from being a Barcelona defender, ignoring criticism over Saudi Arabia’s choice over its human rights record.
The Spanish federation acknowledged that Pique had played the role of mediator because of his relationship with Saudi officials, but the federation denied to the newspaper (AS) to pay any commission to the player Barca to avoid suspicions and conflicts of interest.
But Oak Diario predicted that Pique received a commission from the Saudi side through Cosmos of 12 million euros, 10% of the total contract of 120 million euros ($ 132 million) for organizing four consecutive copies of the Super Spaniard.
The Spanish government favored the establishment of the super in Qatar, not Saudi Arabia, to avoid accusations of polishing the Saudi regime after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Super Cup will be held for the first time with four teams, when Barcelona meet Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid also play against Valencia, and the winners of the final in Jeddah on 12 January.
