The defender is adamant that officials in Spain's top flight are impartial and says he hopes to see his four game suspension reduced
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique says the spotlight should not be focused on officials in the Liga title race this season.
Pique was sent off in the Supercopa second leg against Athletic Bilbao for verbally abusing the assistant referee and was subsequently slapped with a four-game ban.
The Spain international was consequently forced to miss the opening league victory away to Athletic at the weekend and will also sit out the games against Malaga, Levante and title rivals Atletico Madrid should his appeal against the sanction prove unsuccessful.
While he hopes to see his ban reduced, however, Pique would not be drawn on suggestions that such decisions could sway the title race.
"Winning the league or not will not depend on the referees. They are 100 per cent impartial," he told reporters.
"I'm optimistic that my ban will be reduced. It's difficult when you can't help the team and must watch from the stands."
Pique also hit back at critics who have suggested Barca will struggle to sustain their trophy push before their transfer ban is lifted in January.
"To say there is no depth is to look for something negative in the team. There's more to the world than just losing a game," he said.
"We're a team. With the losses we now have, the team went to a difficult pitch and won.
"We've won five of the last seven league titles and we're going for the next one."
Pique was also keen to back Pedro after his decision to swap Barcelona for Chelsea for more playing time.
"Pedro wants to keep winning. He wants to be important and that has to be taken into account. He's a great person and I wish him the best," he added. [GOAL]
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