Spanish Super Cup's Istanbul move driven by Asian Cup clash, RFEF chief says

ISTANBUL, Sept 17 - The decision to stage the 2027 Spanish Super Cup in Istanbul was driven largely by a scheduling clash with the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia and not by security concerns in the region, Spanish football federation president Rafael Louzan said on Thursday.

The tournament will be held in Istanbul from February 2-7, 2027, according to the Turkish Football Federation, which hosted a launch event on Thursday attended by Louzan and Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal.

Louzan said negotiations over moving the competition from Saudi Arabia had begun before the latest regional tensions because organisers knew its dates would coincide with the Asian Cup.

"This is largely due to the coincidence with the Asian Cup," Louzan said in an interview, adding that the move had been agreed with Saudi sports and entertainment company Sela and the Saudi government.

Louzan said Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid were satisfied with the arrangement, and thanked Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce for providing stadiums and infrastructure.

The Spanish federation has staged the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia for several years under its agreement with Sela.

Louzan said the financial terms for the Istanbul edition would remain broadly the same as under the existing arrangement, with "some improvements", but did not disclose the value of the deal.

He said talks were already under way with Sela and Saudi authorities about extending their agreement beyond 2030.

"This year, the alliance between Turkey and Saudi Arabia has also allowed us to come here," Louzan said. REUTERS