West Ham and former Spain manager Julen Lopetegui ‘indignant’ at Gerard Pique comments | OneFootball

Former Spain manager and current West Ham United coach Julen Lopetegui has not taken kindly to comments made by Barcelona icon Gerard Pique. The ex-Spain central defender claimed that Lopetegui had asked him to publicly apologise to the country.

Pique revealed over the weekend that Lopetegui and then Spain captain Sergio Ramos had asked him to read a statement apologising to the country after the 1-O referendum in Catalonia in 2017, which was illegal but ended with Spanish police beating down peaceful protests.

According to Cadena SER, Lopetegui is furious about the comments, and assures that the facts have been twisted and exaggerated. The ex-Sevilla man did not appear on the radio station, but instead told the outlet privately that there were witnesses to this event, and that he simply gave ideas about how to manage the situation.

Lopetegui’s statements would of course hold more weight if he addressed the matter publicly himself, but there are two sides to every story. Given the details provided by Pique, it seems unlikely that the situation was misinterpreted. Either way, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth for whichever party is in the right.