Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), has rejected claims of wrongdoing after reviews that Gerard Pique requested him to intrude in the selection of Spain's squad for the Tokyo Olympics. A series of conversations between Rubiales and Pique have been leaked via Spanish e-book El Confidencial in recent days, focusing on Pique's involvement in transferring the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia.
New leaks, however, seem to reveal Pique asking Rubiales to make certain he turned into picked for the behind schedule 2020 Olympic Games, at which he needed to make his Spain go back after retiring from international soccer in 2018. Pique is allegedly heard telling Rubiales in one audio message: "You should do this for me Rubi, you have to get it for me," referencing a gap in the Olympic squad coached by way of Spain U21 boss Luis de la Fuente. The Barcelona centre-back is also have said to have hit out at Sergio Ramos' extra public request to be worried.
At a information convention held on Wednesday, but, Rubiales denied the messages uncovered any wrongdoing from himself or Pique, saying it turned into "ordinary" for gamers, with lots of whom he's near, to make such requests. "Maybe every other one [player] appears who requested me to, and it is no longer Pique. I'm going to maintain speakme to them like that. I have a verbal exchange with a person I've acknowledged for years and I talk as I talk," Rubiales said.
"There were extra [players] who asked me. He [Pique] introduced a long time ago that he did now not need to go back, and I spoke with Luis de l. A. Fuente in order that he might understand who had referred to as me. It is not unusual while one is a awesome player and he wants to come returned [to the national team]. Then Luis made a totally special selection. We act with the maximum honesty. He isn't always the handiest footballer who has requested me to do so."
Pique, along with Ramos, become in the end not noted of the squad, with Spain incomes the silver medal after a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Brazil in the very last.
Meanwhile, interest has additionally been attracted to the new 4-crew format delivered for the Supercopa because it moved to Saudi Arabia, with Rubiales' federation accused of being encouraged via a economic want for giants Real Madrid and Barca to remain concerned. Rubiales admitted that the probability of those two golf equipment being concerned did result in extra sales being generated through TV rights income, but denied that this amounted to any kind of favouritism.
"We sell the TV rights to the final everywhere in the world. There are a few nations that wait to bid when they're the finalists," Rubiales delivered. "If there may be a derby or Clasico, the offer multiplies lots. That provides to the control and might affect the variable. [But] we don't have any idea who's going to play within the very last."
