Spain's Pique shrugs off national anthem gesture
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique insisted he was merely crossing his fingers after being accused of raising his middle finger during the Spanish national anthem before the Euro 2016 game against Croatia.
Pique, an outspoken supporter of a referendum for Catalan independence, earned his 78th Spain cap in the 2-1 loss to Croatia yesterday morning (Singapore time).
"I am crossing my fingers during the anthem," Pique posted on his Twitter account.
"We should stop looking for controversy where there is none and try to win the Euros together."
Spanish sports daily Marca, a fierce critic of some of Pique's other controversial acts, labelled those making the accusations as "lamentable".
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was also visibly annoyed at being asked about the incident.
"I am here to talk about football," he said.
- AFP.
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