• Last update: 19:25
Xavi believes Gerard Pique is enjoying the extra publicity he is getting as a result of the leaked audio clips between the 35-year-old Barcelona defender and Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Where previously there was a possible conflict of interest of the central defender of Barcelona with regard to the new arrangement of the Supercopa, new fragments show that the defender wanted to secure a place in the Olympic team of Spain with the help of Rubiales.
There is a lot of talk in the Spanish media about the leaked audio fragments of The confidential on which Pique can be heard. Xavi was unable to ignore his defender’s statements at the press conference leading up to the LaLiga game with Real Sociedad and was faced with the potential conflict of interest. “He’s outgoing and likes to loosen tongues,” said the Barcelona coach. “I’m more diplomatic. I know him. If he wasn’t focused I would warn him, but this attention is fuel for him. It’s adrenaline for him. It’s like a drug, in the good sense of the word.”
Piqué reacted incensed to the publication of The confidential about his alleged million-dollar deal with the Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales. In conversations intercepted by the Spanish newspaper, the Barcelona defender can be heard talking with Rubiales about the 40 million euro deal surrounding the Supercopa, which has been played in Saudi Arabia since 2020. As much as four million euros per year is reportedly transferred to Kosmos Holding, the company that Piqué founded in 2017.
In a live stream on Twitch, Piqué shared his story about the deal with the president of the Spanish Football Association. “I am very proud of this agreement, because it is just very important for football in Spain,” the Barcelona mandekker emphasized. “It was all legal and in my opinion there is no conflict of interest at all. I have nothing to hide and I don’t make decisions based on what other people think. The audio clips have been taken out of context and leaked with malicious intent.”
Pique’s livestream did not bother Xavi, however. “It would bother me if he didn’t give everything or didn’t follow the rules. It’s Gerard and I know him. I know how to manage him.” The Barcelona coach was also asked if he thinks Pique and Rubiales are guilty of any criminal offences. “It’s very difficult, my opinion doesn’t change anything. There are two people involved. I know Rubiales well, he is a noble man. I trust his honesty. He has to answer, and so must Pique. I think they had the importance of the bigger picture in mind. That’s what I want to think. Whether it is ethical or not? There will be different opinions about it.”
New audio clips that The confidential published seem to confirm the influence that Piqué has with federation president Rubiales. The defender sent a message to Rubiales in 2019 asking for his help to secure a place in the Spanish Olympic team for the Tokyo Games. “You have to do this for me, Rubi. I really want to be in action at the Olympics”, you can hear. “We have to approach the coach (Luis de la Fuente, ed.) together, but this must remain a secret.”
Pique proposes in the tape to come to Madrid. “Then we will sit down with him (De la Fuente, ed.). Let’s make sure that this does not get in the media. We have to keep it a secret, otherwise other players will also ask for a place,” says Piqué clearly to Rubiales, who responds positively: “I informed the coach. He is the one who has to make the decisions, but of course he is happy that I lend him a hand. I would really like to see you go to the Olympics, but you must of course keep this conversation a secret.”
In the end, Rubiales was unable to exert enough influence on De la Fuente to take Piqué to Japan: the trainer decided not to register him for the Olympic team. The Spanish coach preferred to use Marco Asensio, Dani Ceballos and Mikel Merino as dispensation players, as they were also part of the Spanish team’s qualifying campaign. In Tokyo, the Spaniards reached the final, where it lost in the final after extra time against defending champions and favorite Brazil (2-1).
