Gerard Pique Slams Former Real Madrid Board Member on Messi, Neymar Tax Charges

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique questioned whether Real Madrid carries too much influence on the judicial process after teammates Neymar and Lionel Messi ran into legal trouble over the past few years.

According to Joaquin Maroto of Spanish newspaper AS, Pique focused his ire on Spanish state attorney Marta Silva de Lapuerta and her relationship with Madrid.

Per Marca (via ESPN FC), the centre-back said that, while he has respect for many players at the Santiago Bernabeu, he is sceptical about the powers that be at the club:

"

I don't like the values Real Madrid transmit, although there are players there I really appreciate with and am friends with. I don't doubt Raul's loyalty to Madrid, but I'd never work at Real Madrid.

What I don't like about Real Madrid is how those in the box seats pull the strings. The person who accused Messi and Neymar and who has a different treatment for Cristiano [Ronaldo] is in those box seats.

I don't know the name of the judge. We aren't going to keep a [grievance] list like [Jose] Mourinho does. We know how this works. Like this one, there are others.

"

Messi's family first addressed the issue of Silva de Lapuerta in November 2015 as the Argentinian striker was embroiled in a tax fraud case. A Catalan court found Messi and his father guilty of tax evasion in July 2016.

Last November, Spanish prosecutors argued Neymar should receive a two-year prison sentence over financial irregularities stemming from his transfer to Barcelona—a scandal that accelerated the ouster of club president Sandro Rosell in 2014.

There's no question politics have intertwined with Barcelona and Real Madrid's rivalry over the years, particularly during the reign of Francisco Franco. Spanish sport minister Miguel Cardenal argued in July 2016, however, Silva de Lapuerta's previous affiliations had nothing to do with court rulings.

"If this campaign is aiming to make some kind of complaint about a judicial decision, it is totally mistaken," he said per AS (via ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan). "We are in an advanced democracy with an independent and competent judiciary."

Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

Madrid captain Sergio Ramos responded to his Spain team-mate's comments and hinted at a similar accusation against Pique's Barcelona, per ESPN FC: "What Pique says won't change the values, our badge, our history or our titles. What he says will provoke headlines and sell newspapers but we live off of that. In every box seat strings are pulled, but if anything, [Barcelona] should in general have more to be quiet about then we do."

Pique and Ramos started alongside each other in the centre of defence as Spain beat France 2-0 in a friendly at Paris' Stade de France on Tuesday, four days on from La Roja downing Israel 4-1 in a qualifier for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

They will now return to their respective clubs ahead of the weekend's La Liga action as Barcelona and Real continue to fight for the title.

The two Spanish giants will meet for the second Clasico of the season, and a potential title-decider, on April 23 at the Bernabeu.