Pique: “I put my hand on the fire that Barcelona did not buy referees

Gerard Pique has given his own answer to those questioning Barcelona’s titles after the Negreira scandal, with the Blaugrana’s suspicious payments to the executive of the technical refereeing committee. The veteran, now an ace, declares he is sure of the Catalans’ innocence.

“I put my hand in the fire that Barcelona did not buy referees. If you want to buy off a referee, you give black money and that’s it. You can do it much more simply than going to the technical committee of referees. In any case, I have complete confidence in Barcelona and its management. As much as some want to tarnish history, we are talking about a golden age. We were far superior back then, not only because we won titles, but also in the way we won them. We didn’t depend on any referee“, he emphasized.

As for Real’s decision to pursue the case as having a legitimate interest, he said: “I understand why Real decided to take legal action. Pressure from her fans forced her to do so. But it’s more about the noise than anything else“, said Pique.

Finally, he addressed his decision to retire in November. “I did this for several reasons. I had said that when I stopped enjoying it, I would stop. I no longer felt as important to the team as I had throughout my career and I was not feeling well. It’s been a bit strange the last few months, but I think I made the right decision. I do not regret it. And I don’t miss him at all. Whenever I want I go to the stadium and watch the team, but now I have more free time».