What’s the Story?
Gerard Pique took to twitter to attack referees on what he alleges to be biased toward (i.e. favouring) saying, among other things – "We all saw what happened in Madrid's game with Sevilla, I hope referees improve their standards". This came after the referee awarded a penalty for handball against Bruno Soriano against Madrid, but didn’t for a similar incident against Barcelona.
Real Madrid captain and always-ready-to-retaliate central defender Sergio Ramos responded promptly saying "I would have been surprised if he'd have put [Lionel] Messi on there," Ramos remarked to reporters. "We already know about Pique's world, where everything's a plot against him.
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In case you didn’t know
Pique and Ramos have a history of open, vitriolic, confrontation – although arguably one of the world’s best central defender partnerships for La Furia Roja - and this is the latest chapter in their colourful history. To know more about what Pique said, you can read it all here – Gerard Pique rages on twitter again as Real Madrid benefit from controversial decision
The heart of the matter
Ramos went on to say that referees are under tremendous pressure all the time and the players have a responsibility to make it more comfortable for them, insinuating that Pique’s tactics were merely to put more pressure on the referees as Real Madrid continue to remain atop the league - a point above Barcelona with a game in hand.
Ramos also went to speak about the title challenge saying that it would go to the final day remarking that in football the difference becomes less and less from one team to the next.
What next
This battle promises to pick up pace, with the title race all set to go down to the last day, Ramos and Pique will face off against each other in a clash that will prove crucial on the 23rd of April at the Santiago Bernabeu. The battle between Ramos and Pique promises to be a highlight, as always, of El Clasico
Sportskeeda’s Take
The decision in question could have gone either way, and while certainly harsh, one can understand why the referee gave it. Refereeing decisions will always be a matter of contention between rival teams, and referees may make the occasional error; after all is it but human to err.
Pique’s reaction, however understandable, smacks of desperation and with Barcelona struggling to find cohesion on the field his energies may be better utilised being focused towards the football pitch.
