Controversy lingers as Saudi Arabia gets set to welcome Spanish Super Cup

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid and Barcelona will be among those tussling for the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia this week, amid controversy over a tournament held faraway from home in a country long-condemned for its record on human rights.

Spain’s two most decorated clubs could face off in a Clasico final in Jeddah on Sunday if Real Madrid beat in-form Valencia and Barca can overcome Atletico Madrid in the semis.

Yet the prospect of another showdown between La Liga’s leading pair has been overshadowed by criticism, with lingering concerns about a Spanish competition being played on a different continent, more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away.

The financial incentives on offer, both to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who run the competition, and the four clubs taking part are bound to have been persuasive.

For agreeing to participate alone, Barcelona and Real Madrid will receive six million euros ($6.72 million) while Atletico and Valencia will pocket around three million euros each. If Barca and Real Madrid reach the final, it is expected they will earn around 10 million euros for the week.

The RFEF, meanwhile, has an agreement for the tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia for three years, for which it will earn a total of 120 million euros, an amount it claims will be put back into the women’s game and lower leagues.

President Luis Rubiales has also said the old format, involving a final in August between the league champions and cup winners, was no longer capturing the imagination of fans.

“The Super Cup was doomed to death,” said Rubiales in November.

“The money we will get is not for building a villa. It will go to women’s football and the clubs in Segunda B and Tercera. Of course money is important, who can deny that? Money is very important but the money will go where it is needed.”

– ‘Heinous human rights record’ –

But in exchange for bigger cheques, the RFEF is facing accusations of betraying Spanish supporters and turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s “heinous human rights record”, as it was described by Amnesty International in November. 

Saudi Arabia has followed the lead of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates by accelerating its investment in sports events to exert soft power and cast a more positive image of the country across the world.

“There is a very offensive policy to host major sporting events… to spread a different image of Saudi Arabia,” Carole Gomez, a researcher at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, told AFP.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/35vOFxx