March 7 – LaLiga President Javier Tebas says the decision to shift the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia has been beneficial for Spanish football and that there would be more cooperation between the two countries in future.
The Spanish federation (RFEF) agreed a three-year deal worth a reported €120 million with the Saudi sports authority in 2019 to expand the Spanish Super Cup and host the competition in the kingdom.
The move was criticised by human rights groups and was met with a backlash from Spanish fans but Tebas insists the tournament has helped promote Spanish football.
Speaking after the La Liga FC Futures U14 tournament, held at the Mahd Sports Academy in Riyadh and won by Villarreal, Tebas said the Super Cup project had overcome its teething troubles.
“To begin with, it had some criticism but now it is perfectly assimilated and I think it has been very good for Spanish football,” he was quoted as saying.
“A competition of that level transferred to Saudi Arabia, a country with an impressive desire to grow in football. It is much better to go places where they want to grow like Saudi than the other places.”
“We must work hard to serve the new generation. We are already collaborating with the Saudi Ministry of Sports to develop players under 18 years old, as they are the future.”
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