A Spanish court has opened an official investigation into former Barcelona and Manchester United defender Gerard Pique for his alleged involvement in a deal that saw the Spanish Super Cup relocated to Saudi Arabia.
In exchange for brokering the deal, Pique’s company Kosmos signed agreements with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) worth 40 million euros (£34 million), while the RFEF would receive 400 million euros (£340 million).
According to Judge Delia Rodrigo, the agreements contained “possible illegalities with criminal implications”.
The 37-year-old former international player for Spain, Pique, is now officially part of the group of individuals being looked into by authorities regarding the alleged issues.
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He has consistently defended the agreement, denied any misconduct, and insisted that it was “legal”.
Since audio recordings of Pique and then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales were leaked in 2022, the case has been under investigation.
Investigators searched the RFEF offices in March, and Rubiales—who has also maintained the deal’s legality—was taken into custody upon his return from a trip to the Dominican Republic in April.
Following the World Cup final of the previous year, he had already resigned from the RFEF in September of that year after kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso. Regarding that matter, he is going to stand trial separately for sexual assault.
Pedro Rocha, his successor, is also being investigated in connection with the Saudi agreement.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Spanish Super Cup was moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020 and returned there in 2022.
Pique played twice for Barcelona in Spanish Super Cups in Saudi Arabia before retiring in November 2022.
