Spanish Super Cup to be played in Saudi Arabia

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia will contest the revamped tournament

Richard Martin
Monday 11 November 2019 17:25 GMT
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Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates with the Spanish Super Cup
Lionel Messi and his Barcelona teammates with the Spanish Super Cup (Getty)

The Spanish Super Cup tournament will be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2020, a source from the national soccer association (RFEF) said on Monday, confirming long-mooted plans that have already attracted criticism in and outside Spain.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia will contest the revamped tournament between 8-12 January, with both semi-finals and the final taking place at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah.

When reports of the move broke in September, former Spain women’s international Veronica Boquete heavily criticised the decision, saying it represented “the victory of money and business above sport, above everything else”.

A ban on women attending soccer matches in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom was lifted in 2017 as part of a wider easing of social restrictions championed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Under his rule, the kingdom has lifted a ban on women driving, eased rules on gender segregation and women’s dress code, and chipped away at a guardianship system that gives male relatives control over key decisions in women’s lives.

However, some barriers remain and several women activists have been put on trial.

The federation source said the organisation can guarantee women will face no restrictions on entering the stadium during the Spanish Super Cup.

Saudi Arabia continues to face Western criticism over its human rights record, especially since the October 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.

Spain’s acting junior minister for sport, Maria Jose Rienda, said the government would not support holding the competition “in countries where women’s rights are not respected”.

Reuters

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