May 31 – Former Barcelona and Manchester United defender Gerard Pique has been placed under official investigation by a court in Spain over his alleged involvement in a deal which saw the Spanish Super Cup moved to Saudi Arabia.
Pique’s company Kosmos signed agreements with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that would see the former receive €40 million for brokering the deal, with RFEF the receiving €400 million.
Judge Delia Rodrigo said there were “possible illegalities with criminal implications” in the agreements.
Pique has always defended the deal and denied wrongdoing, insisting it was “legal”.
The case has been under investigation since 2022 when audio recordings of Pique and then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales were leaked.
In March Spanish police arrested at least six people and raided the offices of the RFEF as well as a property belonging Rubiales as part of a corruption and money laundering investigation. Rubiales was subsequently arrested when returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic.
He had already stepped down from the RFEF over the infamous “kissgate” affair and is separately facing trial for sexual assault over that issue.
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