The Spanish Super Cup, hosted by Saudi Arabia for the fourth time, ended last night. Real Madrid demolished Barcelona 4-1 in the final on their way to their 13th championship. A big topic during the tournament was the fans themselves, who attracted a number of controversies. Toni Kroos was the target of one of them.
The Spanish Super Cup is itself a much-discussed topic in its fourth year. In 2019, the Spanish federation has overhauled the entire playing system, including changing the host country.
It is not the norm for a League Cup or Super Cup to be played in a country other than the home country of all participating clubs. But money makes the world go round, and football is certainly no exception. As a result, the Royal Spanish Football Association (RFEF) has not hesitated to accept an astronomical offer of 120 million euros, as a result of which the best Spanish clubs have the opportunity to watch in the Arab country.
This deal also saw a change in the overall format. With the exception of 2018, the Super Cup was played with a two-match system (one played on home soil, the other on the opponent’s soil), in which the winners of the Copa del Rey and the Spanish top flight clashed. In the aforementioned year, for the first time ever, the winner was decided after a single match played on neutral ground in Morocco.
In the Middle East, we have the opportunity to watch a four-club format, first facing each other in the semi-finals and then in the final. The tournament features the Copa del Rey finalists and the two teams that finished in the top two positions in the last edition of La Liga.
Fans in Saudi Arabia
For local fans, watching the stars of the White Ballet or the Catalan big club may no longer be as much of a holiday as it was years ago. Since last year, more than a few world stars have been roaming the Arab lawns, arriving in Saudi Arabia for the prospect of a hefty financial reward.
The Middle East has huge football plans and an essentially unlimited budget, which makes it possible for famous names to lure very loudly. Even the German midfielder at the service of Real Madrid has publicly spoken out on the subject and condemned the transfers to Arabia.
“It’s all about money. It’s a decision for money and against football. From now on it’s harder for the football we know and love,” Toni Kroos told Sports Illustrated in the summer.
The fans in the stadium certainly did not forget these words and accompanied the footballer with the number eight on his back with loud whistles and boos during his performance. The experienced midfielder is certainly not worried about this experience. “It was fun today. Amazing crowd,” he wrote on social network X after the semi-final match.
There is no doubt that this outraged the Arab crowd even more and they showed their emotions even after the final whistle of the final match, when the German star was captured by the camera for a long time while waiting to receive his medal and trophy, which did not escape Federico Valverde, who laughed at the whole situation.
Image source: X (@Realmadrid), Source: Wikipedia, Livesport, Sports Illustrated
