TAD Upholds Piqué's Six-Match Ban for Chasing Ref After Andorra Game

Spain's Administrative Sports Tribunal (TAD) has upheld most sanctions against FC Andorra majority shareholder Gerard Piqué, classifying him as a de facto administrator despite holding no official position at the club.

The ruling, detailed in a 10 September decision and covered by legal-sports publication Iusport, largely endorses penalties issued by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after clashes with officials following FC Andorra's Primera División game against Albacete on 1 May.

Piqué, who controls the club indirectly through Kosmos, faces a six-match suspension for chasing the referee into the tunnel and shouting at him—an act the TAD described as minor violence, even without physical contact. The tribunal dismissed arguments that this amounted to protected free speech, ruling it went beyond acceptable verbal protest. A separate two-month ban applies for offensive comments toward officials near the parking area, based on witness accounts from referees and security personnel, without requiring public or media exposure.

The TAD pointed to Piqué's substantial influence, including indirect majority shareholding via Kosmos, connections to board members, regular staff accreditation, involvement in sporting decisions, and defense of club interests during the incident. These elements, beyond mere ownership, brought him under RFEF disciplinary rules.

FC Andorra received a €1,500 fine and a partial stadium closure for two matches, affecting the presidential box and adjacent VIP areas, due to inadequate tunnel access controls. The club claimed Piqué had a free-access pass, but the TAD held that self-granted permissions cannot supersede federation regulations.

Sporting director Jaume Nogués will serve six matches and two months for comparable tunnel and parking-area remarks. Delegate Cristian Lanzarote faces three-match and two-month suspensions for contempt toward an official and neglecting duties.

The TAD overturned only the sanction on club president Ferran Vilaseca, annulling his four-month ban and fine. While noting the referee's account of chest-bumping the match delegate and raising a fist—interrupted by security—the tribunal deemed the penalty disproportionate for an attempted rather than completed offence, violating minimum sanction standards. The RFEF could potentially reinstate discipline if deadlines permit.

The decision closes administrative appeals, though parties have two months to pursue contentious-administrative court action.