Spain boss Vicente del Bosque claims Barcelona defender Gerard Pique did not come clean with him over an injury.
Pique withdrew from the squad to play a friendly in France last September citing injury, despite having represented his club against Villarreal the previous Sunday with no apparent problems.
“Pique didn’t come clean with me before the game in Paris when he gave me his account of events.
“He told me he had a pain in his hip so we had to look for an alternative,” Del Bosque told Radio Marca, although he refused to get involved in the question of certain players’ commitment to the national team.
“So much has been said this week it is embarrassing. I believe in sporting values, trust, and I don’t understand this lack of commitment.
“We all know [Cesc] Fabregas and he has a competitive edge. When he arrived for his recent medical he told me he’d turned up for 125 internationals in the past and played in 94.
“Those players who show up want to play and if they can’t make it then I must believe what they say.
“We decided to let Cesc go because he said he had a knock and when he moved his leg it was sore. It’s bad when we have a lack of trust and some of those with opinions should be sat on the bench.”
Del Bosque was asked about Sergio Ramos’ comments on Fabregas and Diego Costa having pulled out of the Euro 2016 qualifier with Belarus and the friendly against Germany three days later.
“Let’s not get players confused. I want to hear names and surnames. We should be able to do that because they are our teammates.
“Let’s not be vague. Let’s be specific,” he replied.
