Spanish Super Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia from 2020-22

The RFEF (Spanish Football Association) said on Monday that the Spanish Super Cup tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia from January 2020.

This event will see four teams competing against each other. Next year, the teams will be FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF, Atletico Madrid, and Valencia CF. The tournament will be staged at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The stadium has a capacity of 62,000.

On January 8, Real Madrid will face Copa del Rey champions Valencia in the first semifinal. The next day, La Liga champions Barcelona will play against Atletico Madrid in the second semi-final.

According to sources, the RFEF signed a three-year deal with the Gulf nation. The federation would pocket between £29-£34 million a year from this deal. However, reports suggest that a Spanish government official and the La Liga have criticised the move.

Previously, the Spanish Super Cup was a one-off match between the Liga and Copa del Rey champions at the start of the season. Now that it is moving to the Middle East, the format will change. The competition now features four teams playing semifinals and a final in the middle of the season.

Saudi Arabia is currently seeking to generate revenue from other sectors apart from its oil industry. They have been looking at organising sporting and entertainment events to attract visitors, which can help the Kingdom slowly move away from its oil dependency.

Maria Jose Rienda, Spain's acting junior minister for sport, claimed that the government wouldn't support organising the competition in a country where women's rights are disrespected. However, the RFEF insisted that women will not face any restrictions during the upcoming Super Cup.

Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, highlighted the abnormal human rights record of Saudi Arabia. The country has enormous restrictions in terms of freedom of expression and women's rights. Protesters are raising concerns about Saudi Arabia's implementation of the death penalty for offences that are not considered crimes under international law.

In 2017, the ban on women attending football matches was lifted by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as a way to ease social restrictions.

Italy also played its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last January, which was accompanied by protests from human rights activists and Italian politicians. Federal News Network reports that the activists and political personalities referenced the incident of a columnist, Jamal Khashoggi's assassination at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.