BARCELONA, Spain — Following a Spanish Super Cup match that concluded with Real Madrid’s victory, the spouses of two Mallorca players reported incidents of harassment by local fans in Saudi Arabia. Cristina Palavra, the wife of midfielder Dani Rodríguez, shared that she and Dominik Greif’s partner experienced unwanted attention from a group of men as they were leaving the King Abdullah Sports City stadium on Thursday evening.
“Exiting the venue was quite challenging. We were with our children and lacked any security. A group of men from this country began to take close-up photos of us and harassed us,” Palavra remarked in an interview with a Spanish television outlet. “Natali, the wife of Dominik Greif, also faced a similar situation. I was holding my daughter, who had fallen asleep. We felt very uncomfortable, and there was no one there to protect us. The exit was poorly managed.”
In a separate account to a Spanish sports daily, Natalia Kaluzova, Greif’s wife, detailed that the men not only filmed them but also pushed and groped them, intruding into their personal space with their phones. Mallorca club officials reported that roughly 250 individuals faced harassment while leaving the game.
Other Mallorca fans and Spanish media present in Jeddah echoed the sentiments of Palavra and Kaluzova. Footage shared by Marca appeared to show several men in Real Madrid jerseys filming and laughing as Mallorca supporters made their way to charter buses.
Quique Darder, father of Mallorca player Sergi Darder, described the treatment of the women in their group as akin to a “siege” that lasted between 15 to 20 minutes before their transportation arrived. Mallorca official Alfonso Díaz labeled the groping incidents as “completely unacceptable,” stating that they promptly informed the Spanish soccer federation and expressed confidence that the organizers would take necessary actions to prevent such occurrences in the future.
The Spanish soccer federation confirmed that its security personnel responded immediately upon becoming aware of the situation. This incident has reignited discussions regarding the controversial decision by the federation, under former president Luis Rubiales, to host the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia starting in 2020 for a hefty $40 million per year. Rubiales previously faced backlash from human rights advocates concerned about the treatment of women and minorities in the nation but defended the move by suggesting it could have positive effects for local women attending the matches.
The global focus on Saudi Arabia’s women’s rights record is expected to intensify as the country prepares to host the 2034 World Cup, which FIFA recently awarded. “Spanish soccer must critically assess its future direction, but that responsibility lies with the federation,” remarked Mallorca’s Díaz.
