Ronald Koeman 'attacks' Barcelona star for comments made about Real Madrid
- Ronald Koeman has stated that he is not to blamed if Gerard Pique is banned
- The Barcelona defender criticized referees favouring Real Madrid in matches
- If found guilty, the Spanish defender could be banned for his comments against referees
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Ronald Koeman has told Barcelona defender Gerard Pique he is not interested if he gets banned following comments he made about referees being biased towards Real Madrid, Mirror.
Pique claimed that most of the referees give Los Blancos preferential treatment because they mostly come from the country capital as the team.
The former Man United star is now under investigation for what could hand him a lengthy ban for disrespecting referees.
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Pique said:
"The other day a former referee said that 85 per cent of the referees are from Madrid.
“How are they not going to whistle in favour of Madrid? Even unconsciously, how are they not going to give more for one side than the other?
“I respect the professionalism of the referees and I know they try to do their best job, but when a moment of doubt comes..."
Koeman has since responded to the claims:
"It's my problem if they sanction because of these statements, but he has enough experience to say what he wants.
"But you have to take care because, [even] with little [pushback], they can make you a problem.
"If you have to criticize, do so with respect so they can't do anything to you."
Barcelona are eight points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid and three off Real Madrid on the La Liga table.
And this season's title race could be out of the reach of La Blaugrana following their inconsistent form this season.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Lionel Messi could have been sent off in Barcelona's Copa del Rey defeat to Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan.
Jules Kounde had put the home team in the first half ahead and while Barca were still trailing by 1-0, the incident occurred midway through the second half.
Messi had nutmegged Joan Jordan and the referee called for a foul for obstructing the Barcelona captain.
Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor with Legit.ng and has 7 years of field and office experience. He graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in English and Literature Studies. Akan intends to educate, inform and make readers passionate about sports. Learn more about him on his Twitter handle: @ anwankwo_akan Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1402621-ronaldo-sets-record-undisputed-king-sporting-celebrities.html
Source: Legit.ng
