Gerard Pique received a red card in Barcelona’s draw against Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Monday, and he knows he’s screwed up.
How badly he screwed up is another story.
[ MORE: UEFA Champions League roundup ]
Pique’s furious protestation of a call was not appropriate, and he won’t deny that. But stories have been making the rounds claim Pique was disciplined for issuing everything for a garden variety insult to a filthy jab at the referee’s mother.
From the BBC:“I want to apologise because the attitude with which I protested was not the correct one,” he tweeted.
“At no point did I direct any insult towards the assistant referee.”
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is expected to announce Pique’s punishment on Wednesday.
Pique is obviously one of the reigning champions’ lynchpins, and a long suspension would be a major blow to a club that’s already giving up goals at an alarming rate (and limited in replacing defenders by their transfer ban, which runs through the end of the year).
Barca lost the first leg 4-0 and only managed a 1-1 draw in the second to lose the Super Cup to Athletic Bilbao.