A Spanish court has opened an official inquiry 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 arrangement, Pique’s company Kosmos signed agreements with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) worth 40 million euros (£34 million), while the RFEF would earn 400 million euros (£340 million).
The agreements had “possible illegalities with criminal implications,” according to Judge Delia Rodrigo.
The 37-year-old former international player for Spain, Pique, is now officially part of the group of individuals being looked into by authorities on the alleged issues.
He has consistently defended the agreement, insisted it was “legal,” and denied any misconduct.
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 headquarters 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 player Jenni Hermoso. Regarding that matter, he is going to stand trial separately for sexual assault.
Pedro Rocha, his replacement, 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.
Before retiring in November 2022, Pique represented Barcelona twice in Saudi Arabia during the Spanish Super Cup.
Read Also: West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta Faces Sports Betting Charges
