Athletic Club captain Inaki Williams has slammed the decision to play the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. The tournament will once again take place in the Middle East in January with Athletic facing defending La Liga champions Barcelona in the semi-finals. The winners of the match will go on to face either Real Madrid or Atletico in the final for the chance to claim the first Spanish trophy of the current season.
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Top teams gearing up for Spanish Super Cup
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico are all gearing up for the Spanish Super Cup which will take place next month in Saudi Arabia. The tournament sees the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey take on the runners-up of both competitions, with the victors picking up the first trophy of the season. Barcelona did a domestic double last season, while Real Madrid finished second in La Liga and were beaten finalists in the Copa del Rey, meaning that Atletico and Athletic Club qualified for the Super Cup as they finished third and fourth in La Liga. The Super Cup was moved to Saudi Arabia for the first time in the 2019-20 season when it was expanded to a four-team tournament and is set to stay there until at least 2029.
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Williams slams Super Cup in Saudi Arabia
The decision to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia has been criticised by Williams. The Athletic Club star explained why when speaking to the media ahead of the start of the tournament. He said: "For me, playing (the tournament) in Saudi Arabia is sh*t. Taking a national competition out to another country does not make things easy for (the fans) to move and follow the games. When we play there, it feels like we are the away team. Above that, in the upcoming days, I am going to be a dad, and it is a big hassle to go away with my wife and son here."
This is not the first time that Williams has spoken out about the tournament. He expressed a similar sentiment after Athletic Club were beaten by Barcelona in Saudi Arabia last year, telling the media: "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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Complaints about 2025 Super Cup
Last season's Super Cup in Saudi Arabia brought complaints and allegations about the harassment of female fans. Cristina Palavra the partner of Mallorca’s Dani Rodriguez told : "We were with our children and there was no security. The truth is that the guys from this country (Saudi Arabia) started taking photos of us up close and harassed us. Natalia, Dominik Greif’s wife, was here too." She added "they felt "disoriented because nobody was protecting us."
Sergi Darder’s father Kike also made allegations about supporters' behaviour. He told : "Nobody expected to be treated this way, especially the women. They are the ones who paid the price for the groping and the lack of respect towards the Mallorca fans. There were no security people nor anyone from the RFEF (Spanish Federation). I have no desire to come back here."
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What comes next?
All four teams are in La Liga action at the weekend and will then jet out to Saudi Arabia for the tournament. The Super Cup is due to kick off on January 4th when Athletic take on Barcelona, with Real facing off against Atletico the following day. The final will then be contested on January 11th.
