Saudi Arabia is where the big bucks lie in football in the 2020s, but not everyone is happy about it.
The Middle Eastern country has made an almighty impression on the sport with transfer window spending through the roof in the Saudi Pro League and a bid won for the 2034 World Cup.
They’ve also staged both Spanish and Italian Super Cups this season with both Serie A and LaLiga converting to a four-team tournament.
Rather than the league and cup winners competing, runners-up in both competitions are included, and the idea was popular in Spain, until it got moved to Saudi.
Real Madrid overcame Mallorca on Thursday night to set up a final with Barcelona on Sunday, but not everyone was happy after the 3-0 win.
In fact, the wife of Mallorca winger Dani Rodríguez was so outraged by her treatment that she spoke to Spanish TV.
“The men from this country started taking photos of us from very close up, harassing us,” Cristina Palavra said.
“Leaving was a bit complicated. We went with the children, we had no security.”
She added that Dominik Greif’s wife, Natália Kaluzová, suffered the same treatment, and later added to her comments in conversation with Marca.
“After the game, we formed a large group to return to the hotel and that’s when it all happened,” she said.
“A group of people came up to us and filmed us, pushed us, insulted us in Arabic, recorded us without consent and there were assaults.”
A Mallorca fan added: “They took photos of us without consent, patting us on the back.
“It was very unpleasant, but the worst thing was what the women suffered. They were groped and had their photos taken without permission.”
Dani Rodríguez, meanwhile, supported his wife on social media, writing: “A disgrace! You’re going to enjoy a football match with your family… where is the organization of the Federation? It’s not all about money.”
A day earlier after Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 there were also complaints about the location of the cup for a different reason.
Athletic legend Inaki Williams told reporters: “It was like playing away today even though there were a few fans.
“It’s a shame that such a beautiful match was played so far away because I think that if it had been played closer, the stadium would have been filled with many of our fans.
“It’s a shame that we have to play hundreds of kilometres away from our fans and our families.
“For me, it makes no sense to play here in Saudi Arabia, but that’s how football works today.”
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