Xavi Hernandez has warned against influencing referees and says they must be given "help" rather than criticised.
Officiating standards in La Liga have come under the microscope after Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti fumed at the disallowing of two goals during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sevilla.
A number of Madrid based publications have continued to scrutinise the ruling out of Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham's strikes, with questions continually levelled at Ancelotti over his unhappiness at the decisions made by the match officials.
“You know that I don’t have the freedom of expression to talk about the referees. If I say what I think they suspend me and what I want is to work. If I say what I think, they suspend me. In this sense I don’t have freedom…so I can’t answer this question," Ancelotti said prior to Madrid's 2-1 win over Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Next up for Madrid is a trip to Barcelona for the season's first Clasico, with Xavi's side third in the table and trailing the 14-time Champions League winners by just a point.
Quizzed about Ancelotti's comments about referees, Xavi revealed in his pre-match press conference his hope that referees would not be influenced by the comments of the Italian, and instead suggested that the focus should be on offering help.
"I do not like that the refereeing team are influenced. It is a difficult job," Xavi remarked. "They make mistakes, sometimes for you and sometimes against you. But we have to help them. Although sometimes we are emotional because we are tense. I believe a lot in their honesty, we have to leave them to do their work. I don’t like them being influenced.
"Ancelotti is right...if you speak about the referees, you get a ban. He’s right there. But they are talked about too much, and they are influenced. From there, it’s true that I would like to be able to speak calmly about whether this was right or wrong, if they made a mistake, that’s football.
"I think in general, we should be able to admit mistakes. But it’s true that if we speak about referees a lot, it’s not good. Within the Barcelona dressing room, we’re not worried about it. We always believe that they will do the best they can.”
"I think Madrid felt they were hard-done against Sevilla, and they complained about it. Nothing more. It’s natural. And Ancelotti is right, if you speak, they ban you for two games."
Before taking on Madrid, Barcelona must front up against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League - victory against the Ukrainian champions at the Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys stadium, and in the return leg, would secure a place in the round of 16.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Xavi warns against influencing referees after Carlo Ancelotti criticism.
