“Saudi Super Cup bribery”

Luis Rubiales, the former head of the Spanish Football Association, who caused controversy over forced harassment last year, was arrested this time on corruption charges.

Rubiales will be arrested when he returns to Spain.

Cadenaser said: ‘Prosecutors have requested the arrest of Rubiales in the Dominican Republic. Searches have also been carried out on homes he owns in various parts of Spain. One of these searches has also taken place at his Granada home. According to news reports, some of the current detainees include an association legal adviser and former and current directors who intervened in Saudi Arabia’s contract. The court has ordered a search for Rubiales because it has evidence of money laundering, unfair administration, and corruption allegations about the situation at the time,’ and reported on the arrest warrant and the search for his home.

The incident began with the Spanish Super Cup. The Spanish Football Association signed a three-year contract with Saudi Arabia to host the Super Cup in 2019. The contract was worth around 120 million euros. After the contract, the Spanish Football Association changed the Super Cup match between the La Liga winners and the Copa del Rey winners to four teams and started in Saudi Arabia from January 2020. It was held in Spain in 2021, but from 2022 to this year, all Super Cup matches were played in Saudi Riyadh.

Corruption occurred in the process of signing the contract. Spanish prosecutors filed a warrant against Rubiales and other people involved in the Spanish Football Association on corruption charges at the time of the contract, and it is believed that the rest of the people except Rubiales, who is currently in the Dominican Republic, have already been arrested.

Cadenaser said, “Rubiales will be arrested immediately upon arrival in Spain. In this case, the possibility of corruption between companies and individuals is also being investigated, as well as contracts with companies. According to sources, favorable payments have been found to companies that partially imposed irregular fees. For now, the focus is on Saudi Arabia’s contract with the association when Rubiales was appointed,” explaining that other cases can be investigated, focusing on allegations of corruption in Saudi contracts.

In addition to the incident, Rubiales has already resigned from his position as president of the soccer association last year after being forced to kiss a female soccer team player.

In August last year, Spain’s women’s soccer team won the Women’s World Cup in Australia, where Rubiales, who was on the podium at the World Cup ceremony, hugged Hermoso and kissed her.

If they kissed without the other person’s consent, it would be a serious sexual harassment. Later, there was a growing controversy over Hermoso’s actions in the locker room, as he said, “I didn’t feel good” even though he smiled at a question about the situation at the time. Initially, Rubiales came out confidently even though it was enough to be a problem. In an interview with Radio Marca, he explained that he didn’t mean much, saying, “Hermoso and kiss? Everyone is stupid.”

Ermoso, the person directly involved in the incident, also explained the situation at the time, unlike at the time of the live performance, and the incident seemed to be over. Ermoso expressed his closeness through the Spanish Football Association, expressing his stance. The World Cup victory brought tremendous joy, and it was a natural move. There is no problem with his relationship with the president.”

However, controversy lingered afterwards, and Rubiales had to resign as FIFA president, signaling disciplinary action. FIFA imposed a total ban on Rubiales from soccer-related activities for the next three years by applying Article 13, Paragraph 2 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

As soon as the controversy over forced harassment subsides, Rubiales’ alleged corruption has once again been revealed to the world, angering many fans. Spanish fans and other soccer fans are expected to be even more angry at him.

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