Gerard Piqué has been handed a two-month ban after becoming involved in an argument with a referee, according to BBC Sport. The incident occurred following FC Andorra's 1-0 defeat by Albacete in the Spanish second division.
Piqué, who owns FC Andorra, was caught up in the altercation at full time, BBC Sport reports, and the punishment will now keep him away from the dugout and touchline area for the duration of the ban. The precise terms of the suspension — whether it applies to all matchday activity or extends to club operations more broadly — have not been detailed in the report.
The defeat to Albacete that prompted the incident leaves FC Andorra navigating a second-division campaign that carries considerable ambition given the investment and profile Piqué has brought to the club since acquiring it. Andorra, the small Pyrenean principality, has no professional football league of its own, meaning the club competes within the Spanish football pyramid — an unusual arrangement that has drawn attention to the project since Piqué's involvement became public.
For a club of FC Andorra's size and resources, competing in Spain's second tier represents a significant achievement in itself. Piqué's presence as owner has ensured the club attracts a level of scrutiny rarely afforded to sides at that level, and an incident of this nature will do little to reduce that attention.
A two-month absence from the technical area and stadium environs is a meaningful sanction. Whether Piqué intends to appeal the decision has not been reported by BBC Sport at this stage.