MADRID (AFP) - The Spanish football federation arranged for a commission of €24 million (S$35.2 million) to be paid to Kosmos, the sports events company founded by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, as part of the Spanish Super Cup moving to Saudi Arabia, a report in the Spanish press said on Monday (April 18).

According to El Confidencial, the contract negotiated by the federation includes Kosmos receiving €4 million for each of the six tournaments to be played in Saudi Arabia from 2020, while the federation receives €40 million for each competition.

"Pique had a key role in the negotiations for the Spanish Super Cup to be hosted in Saudi Arabia, and throughout this process enjoyed preferential treatment from (federation president) Luis Rubiales, for reasons yet to be determined. A spokesperson for Pique has denied that he received any special treatment," El Confidencial wrote on Monday.

Contacted by AFP, Kosmos has yet to respond.

The first Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia took place in January 2020 between Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia, with Real Madrid beating Atletico in the final.

Before the tournament, Rubiales confirmed in a press conference that Kosmos had participated in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia.

He said the federation had made no direct payment to the company, avoiding any conflict of interest and a breach of its code of ethics.

According to Marca on Monday, the federation believe "this information does not say anything new compared to what was made public in 2019".