The semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup 2022 will see Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club battling it out, know about FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid
The Spanish Super Cup will now take place in Saudi Arabia till 2029 after new Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales announced the multi-year extension of its partnership with the Middle Eastern country.
Here’s all you need to know about the series of events, reason behind the Spanish competition being played in Saudi Arabia till 2029 and more:
Spanish Super Cup 2022 Semi-Final FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2022: Why It’s Being Played In Saudi Arabia
The Spanish Football Federation had originally struck a deal with Saudi Arabia back in 2019 which would inject an amount of 120 million Euros ($146 million) into the Spanish body’s accounts, given that the Gulf State receive the rights to host the Spanish Super Cup in their country from 2020 until 2022.
Although the Spanish tournament stayed back in Spain in the year 2020 because of the Covid-19 outbreak, Saudi Arabia took over the responsibility to pay its annual fee for hosting rights, an amount reportedly worth in excess of $36.5 million per year. The gulf state did so on the grounds of being able to continue hosting the tournament for the predictable future.
So you may find yourself asking how this deal benefits the Royal Spanish Football Federation, right? Well, here’s why.
The deal allows Saudi Arabia to host the Spanish Super Cup till 2029, with the Royal Spanish Football Federation being paid a staggering fee which amounts to something between 240 million Euros and 320 million Euros, on the basis of the reported value of the initial deal.
Criticisms Hurled At RFEF
While there’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that the deal works wonders in boosting the finances of the Spanish organization, it has been heavily criticised for getting involved with a country that has been accused of indulging in sports washing on a regular basis.
The condemnation of the organization has risen to an extent where Spanish public broadcaster RTVE said that it would not participate in the bidding process for the Super Cup media rights since the competition is being hosted by a country regarded as infamous for violation of human rights.