Rubiales denies wrongdoing in Super Cup contract: ‘Football was saved’
ANDFormer President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales. This Monday he denied paying commissions to Gerard Pique and his company Cosmos. for the transfer of the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, as well as for their collection, and added that thanks to that contract”football was saved“.
Rubiales declared this Monday before the judge of Majadahonda that she is investigating alleged corrupt practices during his tenure as head of the Federation and emphasized that the commission that Cosmos took for its mediation was paid by the Arabs, and not by the Federation.and it was eventually included in the contract because it would in no way harm the organization he was leading.
“Football could have died”
The former president emphasized that this contract was signed in the midst of a pandemic, in which, if he had not received this income, Spanish football could have died and management took advantage of ithaving managed to increase turnover From 140 to 400 million euros and securing Spain the right to host the 2030 World Cup.
Contact with Cosmos was established not by the Federation, but by Pique, who also contacted the Arab company Sela, and between them they had to agree on the commission of the then footballer. “There was no collusion“Rubiales insisted, recalling that the contract was approved by the ethics committee and the compliance department of the federal entity.
Investigation continues
A prosecutor has asked a judge investigating possible irregularities in the contracts of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to leave its former president, Luis Rubiales, free and keep his passport. The only precautions required by the representative of the prosecutor’s office are appear in court once every two weeks and inform you of any travel you intend to do.Legal sources told EFE about this.
The Magistrate of Majadahonda (Madrid) must make a decision now at the request of the prosecutor’s office, after listening for several hours to Rubiales’ explanations about his leadershipin which he assured the judge that he had no plans to live outside Spain.