A meaningless trophy has taken on greater significance than usual due to a legal dispute that threatens to tear Spanish football apart
The Spanish Super Cup has lost an awful lot of its appeal over the past few years. Truth be told, it never had much to begin with. Even when it was still staged in Spain, it was little more than a glorified friendly serving as a curtain-raiser for the coming campaign, a meeting of the previous season's league and cup winners. An awful lot of fans were still on holiday when the two-legged tie was played – and that didn't bother them one bit. It was a pretty inconsequential encounter.
Since 2020, though, the Super Cup has become a source of irritation and embarrassment. The move to mid-season and Saudi Arabia has not gone over well with coaches (no matter what they might say publicly) due to football's already congested and draining fixture list, while the vast majority of fans have even less interest than before in what is a blatant and shameless money-making exercise.
Sunday's Super Cup final is different, though. Sunday's Super Cup final is a game everyone wants to watch and it has the potential to be one of the most engaging, exciting and explosive Clasico clashes in recent history…
GOAL The 'grotesque' registration row
The mere presence of Barcelona and Real Madrid in the final would have attracted interest anyway. In terms of global appeal, the Clasico remains the biggest game in world football. However, these two teams met in the previous two Super Cup deciders and there wasn't anything like the same level of interest and tension surrounding those matches.
Why? Because this latest Clasico takes place against the backdrop of a bitter registration row that threatens to tear Spanish football apart.
For any football fan that may have somehow missed the news, Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been cleared to face Madrid after the National Sports Council (CSD) effectively overruled both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) by granting Barcelona permission to temporarily field both players while the legal dispute over their eligibility is ongoing.
Both La Liga and the RFEF have been left astounded by the ruling, the speed with which it was taken and the lack of consultation, while a number of clubs, including Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club and Las Palmas, have warned that "a worrying precedent has been set that could destabilise the foundations of professional football in this country".
The argument is basically that some clubs are more equal than others in Spain, with Athletic forward Inaki Williams stating "it looks like the rules are not the same for everyone" and club president Jon Uriarte going so far as to call the decision "grotesque".
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMadrid's strange silence…
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been understandably reluctant to be drawn on the matter ("I have an opinion but I don't want to express it") but the club, as an enraged Liga chief Javier Tebas noted, have remained strangely silent.
While Barca president Joan Laporta celebrated Wednesday's CSD ruling wildly, allegedly kicking and punching furniture in the directors' box at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah while shouting "cowards", "disgraces" and "sons of b*tches" in the direction of RFEF officials, his Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez has yet to comment.
According to numerous media outlets in Spain, that's because Perez wanted Barca to win their appeal, because if they hadn't, Laporta would have likely been forced to resign – and that would have meant Madrid losing a key supporter of their ongoing attempts to create a European Super League (ESL).
All eyes, then, will be on Olmo on Sunday. Victor could also play but Olmo, as Barca's star summer signing, has always been the focus of this especially sorry affair and is far more likely to feature, even if there's no guarantee he'll start…
GettyPressure's on Olmo to prove his worth
Gavi was excellent in a more advanced role in the 2-0 semi-final win over Athletic, scoring one goal and creating another, so it would be a surprise if he immediately made way for a returning player who hasn't seen a single minute of action for nearly a month – and has underperformed so far this season anyway.
Indeed, Olmo has done little to shake the belief that Barca really didn't need him – and not just from a financial perspective.
Since re-joining the club last summer from RB Leipzig for €55 million (£46m/$57m), Olmo has only been directly involved in seven goals – as many as Ferran Torres and Pablo Torre despite starting more games than both.
In that sense, this would be an opportune time for Olmo to prove he really was worth all the money – and the trouble.
GettyMadrid's concern for brilliant Bellingham
Madrid have their own availability issues to worry about. After an undeniable dip in form for a significant chunk of 2024 (pretty much March to October), Jude Bellingham has looked back to his brilliant best over the past couple of months.
The multi-talented midfielder made the crucial breakthrough in Thursday's 3-0 semi-final win over Mallorca, meaning he's now netted nine times in his last 11 outings in all competitions.
With Bellingham back playing almost exclusively in his attacking midfield role, he's becoming the "leader of the team" he's always wanted to be.
The only issue is that Bellingham picked up a minor thigh strain against Mallorca and Ancelotti could well decide against risking one of his most important players on Sunday.
