Barcelona great Gerard Pique has rejected claims of ref bias amid the Negreira case.

Barca are being investigated over payments made to former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira's company for advice on match officials.

Pique said on RAC1: "Referees have not been bought and I would put my hand in the fire. I know the club, I know the things that are done well and those that are not done so well. But if you want to buy a referee, it's as easy as doing it in black with an envelope of money and giving it to him, and that's it.

"You do not go to the CTA to pay a public salary, because it will end up being known, and to think that with that man you will be able to condition 30 Primera referees. It doesn't have any logic.

"From there, we are totally used to conspiracies and campaigns. But as much as they want to dirty the name of Barça, that was a golden age in which we were far superior. Not only for the titles won, but for how. You can review matches, Leagues, Cups, everything. We were very superior and we did not depend on the referee, neither for good nor for bad."