Barcelona star faces suspension for saying officials are biased for Real Madrid

There is no love lost between Real Madrid and Barcelona center back Gerard Pique, who has always been quick to make comments in the media that get under the skin of Madridistas. But his recent swipes at Los Blancos may have put him in hot water with La Liga.

In an interview with Post United, via MARCA.com, Pique referenced a quip made by former refree Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez stating that nine out of ten officials are fans of Real Madrid. Pique used those comments to question whether the officials are then biased towards Real, stating that this bias may be unconscious.

The Barcelona star previously made comments about referees favoring Los Blancos this past summer, which Zinedine Zidane addressed at a press conference. Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, meanwhile, reasoned that Real get penalties since they spend so much time in the opposing penalty box, as opposed to bias from the officials or VAR review.

Pique’s recent comments questioning the partiality of La Liga officials could land him in hot water. According to a report from Diario Sport’s Ramon Fuentes (report in Spanish), via Football-Espana.net’s Colin Millar, the center back could get hit with a 4-12 match suspension for these comments. Pique could also be fined 600-3,000 euros by the RFEF for these comments.

Real Madrid will face Barcelona on Apr. 11 at home

Madridistas won’t exactly feel bad for Pique for being punished by the league. Players know they are not allowed to make comments openly questioning the integrity of league officiating. It is one thing for players to criticize specific decisions or ask for accountability from the league offices and officials, but the league and fans likely see specific accusations of bias in a different light.

Further, it is always interesting when a player from Real Madrid or Barcelona – it seems to be the latter doing most of the talking these days, especially manager Ronald Koeman – making claims of bias when you would think the biggest clubs would be the most favored.

We’ll see what happens with Pique, who is currently out with a knee injury. Real Madrid have defeated Barcelona in the last two Clasicos and are set to face them again in their home stadium on Apr. 11.