On Friday, whilst speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Barcelona’s trip to Alaves, Xavi Hernandez echoed the sentiments of club president Joan Laporta that La Liga is “adulterated” – the remarks were in response to the controversies of Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Almeria the previous weekend.
Xavi’s (and Laporta’s) remarks angered many, especially those to do with Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the pair in his own press conference, although he refused to outright address the comments.
As per La SER (via Diario AS), Xavi will not be punishment by the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee over the matter. The report explains that only serious and direct accusations against the honour of a specific referee are sanctioned, and because the 44-year-old referred to the competition as a whole, he won’t be punishment by the Federation.
It means that Xavi will be in the dugout for Barcelona’s upcoming set of fixtures in La Liga, which they hope to use to close the gap on Real Madrid and Girona ahead of them in the table.