There has been plenty of drama around the Catalonia referendum, with FC Barcelona opting to play behind closed doors amid violent clashes between Spanish police and Catalan voters on Sunday.
With the focus on international fixtures this week, Gerard Pique, an outspoken pro-Catalonia supporter, finds himself in hot water. On Monday, Spain’s public training session had to be cut short after the Barcelona star was insulted by some of the fans.
Some suggested that Pique might consider retiring from the Spanish national team, but he has explained why that is not an option.
Catalonia already boast a representative side, which has been playing matches for over a century but is not a member of either FIFA or UEFA, and here Press Association Sport looks at what a first XI of locally-born players could look like:
Kiko Casilla (Real Madrid, one Spain cap):
Hector Bellerin (Arsenal, three caps and no goals for Spain)
Gerard Pique (Barcelona, 91 caps and five goals for Spain)
Jordi Amat (Swansea, uncapped)
Jordi Alba (Barcelona, 55 caps and six goals for Spain)
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, 99 caps and two goals for Spain)
Sergi Roberto (Barcelona, three caps and one goal for Spain)
Xavi (Al Sadd, 133 caps and 13 goals for Spain)
Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea, 110 caps and 15 goals for Spain)
Keita Balde (Monaco, 15 caps and three goals for Senegal)
Sergio Garcia (Espanyol, two caps and no goals for Spain)
Coach: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City, 47 Spain caps)
