MADRID — There will be lots of politics to talk about when Venezuela takes on a Catalonia squad in a friendly soccer game in Spain on Monday. Although the region is not independent, Catalonia has often put together squads to play in friendly matches against other nations. Both have retired from the Spanish national team and are off-duty with their clubs because of the international break. The 32-year-old Pique, still a starter with Barcelona, decided to stop playing with Spain’s national team after the 2018 World Cup in Russia. “We understand the reasons why these clubs are not going to let their players play,” Catalonia coach Gerard Lopez said.

Source: Washington Post March 24, 2019 16:35 UTC