Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has said that he will retire from international football before the World Cup if his support for Catalonia’s independence referendum is deemed a problem.
Barcelona defeated Las Palmas 3-0 in an empty stadium on Sunday following unrest in the city, and the 30-year-old described it as his “hardest game”.
“I think I can continue,” said Pique.
“But if the board really thinks I’m a problem, I will take a step back and leave the national team before 2018.
“There are many people in Spain who disagree with what happened today and believe in democracy.”
Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people in north-eastern Spain, has its own language and culture and Barcelona is its capital.
It also has a high degree of autonomy, but is not recognised as a separate nation under the Spanish constitution.
