FC Barcelona manager Ronaldo Koeman has had to put out fires after Gerard Pique launched an explosive tirade against the club's management.
On Friday, in a revealing interview with La Vanguardia, Pique directed a barrage of criticism at Barcelona's board for the manner in which the club had attempted to smear the name of its players in an incident that has become known as 'Barcagate'.
"I don't want to get on badly with anyone but there have been times," Pique said when asked about his relationship with Bartomeu.
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"...As a Barça player, I see that my club has spent money, money that we now need to criticize us, not only external people with a historical relationship with the club, but also active players, and that is outrageous.
"I asked him for an explanation and what he told me was 'Gerard, I didn't know'. And I believed it. Then you see in future actions that the person [Jaume Masferrer] in charge of hiring those services is still working at the club.
"And that hurts a lot. I say it here because I personally told the president before. And what do you want me to say? It is painful? Yes. Can I do something else? Well, no. My relationship with the president may be cordial but there are things that remain."
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Following Pique's tell-all interview, which included insight into the controversial sacking of former manager Ernesto Valverde and the Lionel Messi transfer saga, first-team coach Ronald Koeman refused to criticize the former Spain international.
"He [Pique] has been here for many years and I have been here for three months," Koeman said during his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend's El Clasico against Real Madrid, per Reuters.
"He has an opinion and I respect it. He's a clever guy and he knows when he does these interviews that he's got a game the next day and that he'll play well."