Pique demands clarity as Andorra await Spanish FA decisions before Almeria clash

Gerard Pique has criticised the Royal Spanish Football Federation for failing to resolve the disciplinary status of three Andorra players less than 24 hours before their match against Almeria.

The club’s largest shareholder said Andorra had not received formal confirmation over whether Jesus Ono, Evi Ackerman and Lautaro de Leon would be available for the game, or whether they would be suspended following incidents in the meeting with Tenerife.

Pique made his comments in a video posted on TikTok while Andorra’s squad was travelling to Almeria. According to Spanish newspaper Marca, he described the situation as a serious difficulty for the club, saying the uncertainty had affected both preparations for the match and the coaching staff’s tactical planning.

He said Andorra had attempted to establish the players’ positions through all available channels, including direct contact with the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, but had not received a clear answer in time.

The former Spain and Barcelona defender said the team had been preparing for Saturday’s fixture while Friday arrived without confirmation of whether all three players could take part or would have to serve suspensions.

Pique stressed that his criticism was intended to be constructive and aimed at drawing attention to the problems caused by delays in disciplinary decisions. The coaching staff, he said, needed to know which players were available before finalising both the starting line-up and the match plan.

A further complication was the possibility that a player might be left out as a precaution, only for the authorities to later confirm that no suspension had been imposed. In that case, the suspension could be carried over to another fixture, creating further uncertainty for the club.

Andorra subsequently received confirmation that Ackerman and Lautaro would each miss one match. Ackerman was suspended after accumulating 5 yellow cards, while Lautaro was punished for being sent off against Tenerife after receiving two cautions. Andorra had appealed against the second yellow card.

The situation involving Jesus Ono remained unresolved after the disciplinary committee postponed its decision because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding the case.

The issue was highlighted on 14 November 2026, with Pique continuing to call for disciplinary outcomes to be announced early enough for clubs to prepare properly.

Separately, Andorra’s postponed fixture against Real Mallorca has been rescheduled for Wednesday 9 December at 21:00. The match was delayed following the death of Jesus de Miguel.

The fixture will be played at the same time as Castellon against Eibar and Granada against Tenerife. The three postponed matches were all assigned the same date and kick-off time.