Pique addresses the Negreira situation: Barcelona hasn't paid referees

 

Gerard Pique, a former Barcelona defender, has spoken about the officiating issue that is now consuming the Catalan powerhouses.

José Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), is suspected of receiving payment from the Catalans, but Pique claims that the accusations are absurd.

"Since Barça hasn't paid the referees, I'm putting my hand in the fire. Giving a referee an envelope is all it takes to buy one, he added.

"You don't go to the Technical Committee of Referees vice president. It lacks any sense of rationality. after this. Campaigns and conspiracies are nothing new to us.

Pique also defended his team's efforts throughout the relevant period and insisted that Barcelona didn't actually require any assistance from the match officials at the time.

It's such a great age, he continued, "as much as they try to ruin it. What matters is not what we won, but how it was achieved.

They have access to everything. We were far and away the best. We were independent of the officials. While the prosecutor's office is engaged, I have faith in the club.

Reference | RAC1

Barcelona has recently come out firmly against the accusations. Pique's remarks echo those made by Joan Laporta yesterday, who stated he was eager to face the "scoundrels" attempting to harm Barcelona.