ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As Catalonia prepares for an international friendly match against South America’s Venezuela, two Barcelona stars have announced their return from retirement to play for the autonomous region.
Current Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, 32, and former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, 39, have both been included in a 20-man squad for Catalonia’s friendly game against Venezuela on Monday.
World Cup and Euro Cup-winner Pique, who made 102 appearances for the Spain national team, announced his retirement from international football in August 2018 following the nation’s 2018 World Cup campaign. He has made nine appearances for Catalonia.
Xavi, on the other hand, played 133 games for Spain over a period of 14 years, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the Euro Cup in 2008 and 2012. He retired from international duty after Spain were eliminated from the 2014 World Cup group stage. He has played 12 times for Catalonia.
Although Catalonia is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, it is still allowed to play friendly matches against members of either organization.
Other players on the roster include former Barcelona players like defender Marc Bartra, winger Aleix Vidal, and striker Bojan Kriki?.
Spanish clubs who rejected Catalonia’s request for their players to represent the team denied allegations the refusal was politically motivated.
Tensions continue to exist between the autonomous region of Catalonia and Spain’s central government after an independence referendum in October 2017 which Madrid considered illegal.
At least 12 former officials of the Catalonian government are currently standing trial for their involvement in the referendum. Meanwhile, the former head of the regional government, Carles Puigdemont, is in exile in Belgium.