Barcelona defender Gerard Pique confronted fans of Catalonia for chanting anti-Spain songs during their win over Venezuela on Monday.
Pique, who retired from Spain international duty last year, starred in a 2-1 victory for the regional side at Girona’s Estadi Montilivi in front of 12,000 fans.
“I went to tell them to be quiet, because (as players) we must be the example,” Pique told reporters after the match, as cited by Diario Sport.
“There was no need for what was being said, it was a lack of respect and we should not have to tolerate this.
“A Catalan national team recognised by FIFA? We do not know, but there is a good young team here with a lot of talented players.
“We played really well in a great atmosphere, it was a fantastic day for us as footballers and for Catalan football fans.”
Containing a side featuring former Blaugrana youth products Bojan Krkic, Marc Bartra, Aleix Vidal and Oriol Romeu, Catalonia defeated a Venezuela side who had beaten Argentina 3-1 three days prior.
