Saudi firm bids $138m to host revamped Italian soccer event: Report

ROME: Saudi Arabia could host one of Italy’s premier soccer finals for the next seven years after a reported $138 million offer to secure rights and expand it to a four-team event. Sela Sport, a Saudi sports marketing firm, has tendered the proposal to Italy’s top league Serie A to host the Supercoppa until the 2028-29 season, reported the Milano Finanza newspaper. The competition was first held in Saudi Arabia in 2018, and is returning in January after a break caused by the pandemic.

The Supercoppa is traditionally a one-off match contested by the champions of Serie A and the Coppa Italia, Italy’s domestic knock-out competition. Milano Finanza reported that the new bid includes a proposal to revamp the contest to include four teams: The champions and runners-up of Serie A and the two finalists of the Coppa Italia, meaning it would expand to two semifinals and a final. It added that Sela Sport’s offer is worth almost three times the current $8 million-a-year contract, which ends after the January game.

A delegation from Serie A led by CEO Luigi De Siervo is expected to travel to Riyadh to meet Sela Sport representatives in the coming days. According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, a separate offer is being prepared by a Hungarian company. No comment was made by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation or Serie A.

Saudi Arabia’s first Supercoppa in 2018 saw Juventus beat Milan 1-0 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. The following year saw Lazio defeat Juventus 3-1 at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh. The next, between Milan and Inter, will be played on Jan.