Rabat – FC Barcelona’s key defender, Gerard Piqué, said on Sunday that he is ready to quit the Spanish national football team if his support for the referendum on Catalan independence is considered “a problem.”
Piqué made the statement following his team’s 3-0 victory over Las Palmas on Sunday at the Camp Nou stadium. The game was played behind closed doors amid civil unrest in the city, as police tried to block Catalans from casting their votes.
“If the Spain manager or the Spanish FA think I’m a problem then I have no problem in stepping aside and leaving the team,” said the player.
Before the game, Piqué posted a tweet stating that he had cast his vote. “I have already voted. Together we are unstoppable defending democracy,” said the player. The tweet was accompanied with a picture of Piqué casting his vote in a polling station.
Ja he votat. Junts som imparables defensant la democràcia. pic.twitter.com/mGXf7Qj1TM
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) October 1, 2017
“I am Catalan and I feel Catalan and today more than ever I feel proud of the Catalan people,” he added. “There are many people throughout the country that are completely against the [police repression] we have seen today and who believe in democracy.”
On Sunday, hundreds of thousands took to polling stations to cast their vote in an independence referendum, which increased tensions in the country.
Violence erupted when police tried to stop people from casting their votes. Videos and pictures were published where voters are seen colliding with police officers, who were also captured firing rubber bullets and tear gas and using batons against protesters.
