Gerard Pique given six-game ban, two-month suspension by Spanish football federation for referee abuse

AlavésAthletic ClubAtlético MadridBarcelonaCelta de VigoElcheEspanyolGetafeGironaLevanteMallorcaOsasunaRayo VallecanoReal BetisReal MadridReal OviedoReal SociedadSevillaValenciaVillarrealPodcastsCopa del ReyGerard Pique given six-game ban, two-month suspension by Spanish football federation for referee abuseThe former Spain defender owns Andorra through his holding company Kosmos Agustin Cuevas/Getty Images Share articleFormer Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been banned by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) for six matches and given a two-month suspension from all football-related activity due to violence directed at referees during and after FC Andorra’s 1-0 Spanish second-division loss to Albacete on Friday. The 39-year-old, whose holding company Kosmos owns FC Andorra, was also suspended for two months for “blatant and public acts that undermine the dignity and decorum of sport”. The home defeat brought to an end FC Andorra’s six-game unbeaten run, of which five were wins, leaving them 10th in the Segunda Division. Sporting director Jaume Nogues received identical sanctions for alleged insulting comments to the refereeing team. In the referees’ report, it was alleged that Pique “continuously” raised concerns with the officiating performance, and told referee Alonso De Ena Wolf to “leave under escort so that you aren’t attacked”. The report also alleged that the 2010 World Cup winner said to the reporting officer: “In another country they’d beat you up, but here in Andorra we’re a civilised country”. FC Andorra published a statement on Saturday in which the club expressed “its strong disagreement with the content of the referee’s report”, adding that “certain aspects recorded in the report do not truthfully or accurately reflect the development of events or the statements made during the conversations held between the referee and the club’s representatives”. The club demanded “that the report be rectified and that an exact transcription of what truly occurred be provided”, adding that they reserved the right “to take the appropriate legal actions to defend its interests, as well as the good name and reputation of the club and its representatives”. The federation’s disciplinary committee concluded on Wednesday that, due to the threatening nature of the alleged remarks and their context — in public following several similar incidents during that match, according to the referee’s report — the comments were considered “flagrant acts” that undermined the “dignity and decorum of sport”. In addition to Pique’s personal sanctions, the club was fined €1,500 ($1,800; £1,300) and handed a partial stadium closure for two matches, limited to the presidential box and its adjoining VIP facilities. The report also said the committee would consider a three-point deduction from the final league table if FC Andorra committed another rules breach. Pique started and ended his career at Barcelona, where he made 616 appearances from 2008-2022 after graduating from La Masia, the club’s famed academy. The centre-back won nine La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues at Camp Nou, after four seasons at Manchester United in which he won a Premier League title and the Champions League, despite only playing 23 times before returning to Barca. His company Kosmos took over Andorra in 2018, and has also created the King’s League seven-a-side football tournaments, popular with stars such as Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms