Gerard Pique has been at the centre of a corruption scandal in Spanish football ever since reports emerged on Monday of the defender’s conversations with Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales, along with whom he helped broker a deal to see Spanish Super Cup move to Saudi Arabia. Both parties have since defended themselves against the allegations.

The RFEF head explained in a press conference that he is the victim in all of this and that the “mafia” obtained the audio files illegally: "This is an organized "hunt". People knew about the Kosmos deal three years ago, but now someone ordered them to return it to surface, it's all organized.". 

Rubiales even made the extraordinary claim that he could see someone plant cocaine in his car to bring him down: "I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke. I've never drunk a beer. But I can't guarantee that tomorrow I won't get a sack of cocaine in the trunk".

The leaks haven’t yet stopped, with El Confidencial continuing to release sensational audio clips and conversations on a daily basis. On Wednesday, the website revealed audio of Pique practically pleading with Rubiales to include him in the Tokyo Olympics. 

"You have to make this happen for me, Rubi. I'd love to play the Olympics." the 35-year-old can be heard saying in the clip. It is believed Rubiales did pass on the message to the Spain coach but Pique eventually did not end up going due to the pandemic. 

In today’s version of revelations, Pique is heard complaining about VAR during a leaked WhatsApp conversation between the pair in which Pique doesn’t hide his frustration when the president asks him how he was. This is how the conversation goes:

Rubiales: "How are you?"

Piqué: "Fucked up. They made a mess of it today."

Rubiales: "What happened? Didn't VAR see it?"

Piqué: "Well, they didn't check VAR. And it's a clear penalty."

This was followed by a voice note from Rubiales assuring the defender that no one would stand to gain or lose while he was in charge.

Spanish football fans are outraged at the reports which show a clear disparity in the treatment of teams other than Barcelona and Real Madrid. Diego Simeone, manager of Atletico Madrid - the team which is currently considered the third-best in the country and is competing against the behemoths that are Real and Barca, said that the Spanish FA owes an explanation to the rest of the teams in the league as it looks like the federation would benefit from Real Madrid and Barcelona’s presence in the Supercopa.