Ashraf AboArafe
Football fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the launch of the Spanish Super Cup, which will be held at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, from today January 12 to 16. It includes four club competitions, which are Atletico Madrid, the champions of the Spanish League (LA Liga), Real Madrid, the runners-up, Barcelona, the champions of the King’s Cup, and Athletic Bilbao, runners-up to the Cup.
The semi-finals starts on today Wednesday and tomorrow Thursday (January 12 and 13) and will witness the El Clasico match between Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao, while the final will be held on January 16.
Despite the exceptional global conditions, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, within the initiatives of the “Quality of Life” program and Vision 2030, continued its efforts to enhance its sporting position by hosting and sponsoring international sporting events that attract local and international audiences.
Visit Saudi, the official identity of Saudi tourism, succeeded in promoting the Spanish Super Cup by including it in the calendar of Events and Seasons launched by Visit Saudi in which it presents all Saudi events and seasons during the period of October 2021 to March 2022. This major sporting event, which is part of Saudi Arabia’s diverse and rich tourism agenda, enhances the Kingdom’s position on the world sports map, and presents the capital Riyadh as a cultural, tourist and commercial destination for local and international visitors. This event also sheds light on the Kingdom’s readiness to host AFC Asian Cup 2027.
As the Kingdom prepares to host Spanish football stars for the second time, the Saudi Ministry of Sports announced that NEOM, the important global project in northwest Saudi Arabia and the cornerstone of Saudi Vision 2030, is a key partner for the Spanish Super Cup 2022 as the exclusive presentation partner. NEOM continues to establish partnerships with leading sports bodies and organizations, to push economic diversification and to employ sports in building a healthy and balanced society. As part of its role, NEOM will present the Player of the Tournament (MVP) award, which reinforce its commitment to developing the sports sector in the region and inspiring the next generation of athletes from all the society. The Red Sea Development Company has also been announced as a major sponsor of the tournament.
The Spanish Super Cup has a long history and is one of the most popular tournaments among football fans. Tens of millions of viewers around the world are watching it annually, and thousands of football fans are keen to attend its activities.
The Saudi Ministry of Sports had confirmed that there is a great demand for booking match tickets and stressed that Saudi Arabia will implement health protocol approved by health authorities; to ensure the safety of players, fans, and organizers of the Spanish Super Cup.
This is the second time that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosts the Spanish Super Cup, as it previously hosted it from January 8 to 12, 2020 in Jeddah, which was won by the Royal Club (Real Madrid), after its victory over Atletico Madrid on penalties in King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. In its last edition, which was held in Spain due to Corona pandemic special conditions, Athletic Bilbao team was crowned with a 3-2 victory over Barcelona in the final.
