Spain defender Gerard Pique (right) watches teammate Andres Iniesta control the ball during a training session.
DPA/Madrid
Spain’s 2-0 defeat of Slovakia Saturday should have been a cause for celebration, as it put the two-time defending champions on top of Group C and well on course for the 2016 finals in France.
A win Tuesday at bottom team Macedonia will virtually guarantee Vicente del Bosque’s team a place in the finals.
However, instead of waxing lyrical about La Roja having recovered the slick “tiqui-taka” short-passing style that made them dominant in world football for four years, the media attention Sunday was focused on defender Gerard Pique, who had been jeered from start to finish by most of the sparse crowd in Oviedo.
This jeering of Pique cast a shadow over what was arguably Spain’s best performance in a while, with Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas bossing the midfield - and with David Silva tearing apart the Slovak defence with his thoughtful through-balls.
It was however not the first time that the 69-times capped Pique has been systematically booed. It happened last season at most of Spain’s home matches, and also at national training sessions in Madrid.
The reason is Pique’s very public support for the controversial campaign for the independence of Catalonia.
He is not the only Barca player to have come out in favour of independence - former coach Pep Guardiola, now of Bayern Munich, has also done so - but Pique is the player who has expressed his opinions most forcibly and, many Spaniards would say, provocatively.
Pique, 28, has helped Spain win a first World Cup and two Euros but has also never shied away from controversy.
He is well known for his practical jokes in the dresssing-room, something he says he learned when a youngster at Manchester United. A year ago he reportedly fouled up the airplane on one of Barca’s journeys by throwing two stink bombs.
These high jinks have not always endeared Pique to his team-mates. Indeed, year after year he has failed to be voted in as one of the club’s four captains, despite being now the third longest-serving player.
Pique tried to ignore the jeers in Oviedo Saturday, but nonetheless looked uncomfortable every time he touched the ball. Afterwards he preferred to remain silent, for once.
Radio Marca interviewed a handful of fans who owned up to having jeered Pique.
“He shouldn’t be playing for Spain because he wants to break our country up. That is why we hate him. He is a disgrace to Spain,” said one of the fans.
Del Bosque was quick to come to Pique’s defence, saying: “This booing is lamentable, very unpleasant. They should come to watch the football. besides, Pique was stupendous tonight.”
Captain Iker Casillas was just as annoyed. “Let’s see if we can turn this situation around, between all of us.
Gerard does not deserve this kind of treatment,” he said.
Fellow veteran Iniesta said: “I would like these boos for Gerard to stop, because they prejudice all of us. We should all be rowing in the same direction. The sooner they finish, the better for everyone.”
And midfielder Santi Cazorla added: “Gerard has done a lot for Spain, and I would like the fans to understand that. He has been an important player for us for many years now.”
