Khaberni - The Spanish club Andorra, owned by former Barcelona star Gerard Pique, faces a legal and administrative quagmire due to the repeated behaviors of its owner towards referees and rival teams, amidst a growing discontent within the Spanish Football Federation and the "La Liga" association.
A report published by "AS" indicated that Pique, despite being the major shareholder in the club and not its official president, exerts wide influence that exceeds his administrative powers. Referee reports have recorded an incident of verbal assault and threats from Pique in the locker room tunnel, the latest being in the match against Malaga.
According to the referee's report, Pique aggressively approached the first assistant shouting: "This is a historic theft.. I will post it on Twitter," and verbally clashed with members from the Malaga team before security intervened to resolve the conflict.
Legal Loophole and Significant Financial Penalties
Pique is currently in what resembles a "legal void"; since he does not hold an official position subject to the disciplinary regulations of the Spanish Federation (such as president or coach), he cannot be penalized as an individual, but penalties are directly imposed on the club.
The total fines on Andorra club have reached 30,000 euros this season, due to the repetition of verbal assault incidents against referees (as happened in matches against Deportivo and Leganes).
The Threat of Deducting Points
A disciplinary committee report warned that the continued repetition of violations could move penalties from the financial domain to the harsh sports domain, according to article 93.1 of the Penal Code, which includes:
- Total or partial stadium closure for up to three matches.
- Administrative suspension: banning officials from engaging in activities for up to two years.
- Deducting points: the most severe threat, as the law allows deducting 3 points from the team's final standing score, which could undermine the club's sporting aspirations.
It seems that Pique's excessive passion and controversial actions have started to financially burden the club and put it under the guillotine of legal penalties, amid the silence of other clubs "to avoid problems", but with the patience of Spanish governing sports bodies running thin.
