Saudi Arabia pulls out of hosting Spanish Super Cup due to Covid-19 restrictions - report


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This season's Spanish Super Cup will not be played in Saudi Arabia due the coronavirus pandemic, according to a newspaper report.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) agreed a three-year deal worth a reported €120 million ($145 million) with the Saudi General Sport Authority (GSA) in 2019 to host matches in the Kingdom.

Real Madrid were crowned champions of the first edition of the four-team competition held in Jeddah in January, which also featured Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia.

El Pais newspaper reported, however, that Saudi Arabia did not wish to hold next year's tournament until coronavirus restrictions were lifted and spectators were able to attend matches. The GSA had agreed to extend the deal with the federation by a year to compensate for the loss in revenue, according to El Pais.

The RFEF would not confirm the change but said an announcement would be made soon.

La Liga champions Real Madrid and runners-up Barcelona have qualified for the Super Cup alongside Copa del Rey finalists Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, who have still not played last season's showpiece game due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Super Cup used to be the season curtain raiser, a game held in August between the league champions and Cup winners until the federation voted to expand it in 2019.

The El Pais report said the matches would take place in the Spanish region of Andalusia, with the final taking place on January 17 in Seville's La Cartuja stadium, while the semi-finals would be held on January 13 and 14, either in Seville, Malaga or Cordoba.

It is unclear if supporters will be allowed to attend matches due to ongoing restrictions in Spain.

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Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
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