Former Barcelona and Manchester United defender Gerard Pique is under official investigation by a Spanish court for his alleged involvement in a deal that moved the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Pique’s company, Kosmos, signed agreements with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), securing 40 million euros (£34 million) for brokering the deal, while the RFEF would receive 400 million euros (£340 million).
Judge Delia Rodrigo indicated there were “possible illegalities with criminal implications” in these agreements.
Ex-Spain international Pique, 37, has now been formally included among those under investigation regarding these allegations. He has consistently defended the deal, denying any wrongdoing and insisting it was “legal.”
The case has been under investigation since 2022, following the leak of audio recordings between Pique and then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales.
RFEF offices were raided by investigators in March, and Rubiales—who has also defended the legality of the deal—was arrested upon his return from a trip to the Dominican Republic in April.
Rubiales had already stepped down from the RFEF last September after kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso following the World Cup final. He is separately facing trial for sexual assault related to that incident.
His successor, Pedro Rocha, is also under investigation regarding the Saudi deal.
The Spanish Super Cup was relocated to Saudi Arabia in 2020 and returned there in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pique played in the Spanish Super Cup for Barcelona twice in Saudi Arabia before retiring in November 2022.