La Liga chief Javier Tebas has tried to calm the storm between Gerard Pique and Real Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa by saying comments by the Barcelona defender should be taken tongue in cheek.
The pair have had a public row through various media which started with the Catalan centre back mocking Madrid after their Copa del Rey debacle. The Santiago Bernabeu side were thrown out of the competition for fielding ineligible player Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz.
Arbeloa responded by laughing at Barcelona for conceding a late equaliser against Valencia last weekend, and Pique followed that up by saying his fellow Spain international is not a friend of his.
The latest comments were seen as a step too far by many and Pique has been widely criticised for stirring tensions.
But in quotes published by Marca, Tebas, a Real fan, said Pique’s comments should not be taken seriously.
“It’s wrong to say what’s been said about a teammate, but as a Real Madrid fan I take it with some humour. I don’t like what he’s done but we all know what Pique is like. There’s no need to make a martyr out of him or to have him shot,” he said.
And he added: “We shouldn’t take things out of context. Some players will be on bad terms and others better. When [Pique and the Madrid players] are together in the national team they’re able to get on and win titles for our team.”
