The journalist Juanma Castaño has told in The Great Game of COPE the conversation he had with Julen Lopetegui after the words of the former Barça player, Gerard Piquéin which he states that the former Spain coach and Sergio Ramos told him to apologize for his support for the right to decide in Catalonia on a illegal referendum that took place on October 1, 2017.
“Julen Lopetegui categorically denies that he told Piqué that I had to ask for forgiveness”, The journalist stated about the conversation he had had with the coach. Likewise, he said that he will publicly clarify what happened, since he is not “going to remain silent.”
Juanma Castaño revealed not knowing “exactly where Lopetegui’s argument is going to go when he takes the floor to find out if this happened or not.” However, he did point out that: “The only thing I can tell you about the conversation I had with Lopetegui is that here there are “half-truths that are worse than outright lies.”
“I go with the Spanish team, I arrive in Madrid, to Las Rozas, and, surprisingly, that night the coach and the captain, who was Sergio Ramos, catch me. They tell me: ‘Gerard, you must apologize. You have positioned yourself very much in favor of Catalonia…'”, Piqué began by recounting in an interview given to TV3 in which he stated that he received pressure from Sergio Ramos and Julen Lopetegui, captain and coach at the time of the illegal independence referendum in Catalonia.
“I said: ‘Man, I think I have positioned myself for the right to vote and be able to decide. I’m not going to make statements or ask for forgiveness.’ And well, Julen had prepared a paper for me with what he had to say and told me that I should give a press conference,” he remembers.
“I got to the room, I threw the paper in the trash can and I told them: ‘Look, if you want me to give a press conference I will do it, but in my own way and I will say what I believe. I’m not going to apologize, I’ll let you know. Damn, from there Every time I went to the national team it was a mess, whistles…”, concludes the ex-footballer.