Eduardo Inda Responds to Gerard Pique over 'Florentino Perez's Puppet' Comment

OK Diario director and founder Eduardo Inda has hit back at accusations from Barcelona's Gerard Pique that his is a "puppet publication" for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. 

In a recent conversation on why he has decided to quit the Spanish national team after the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona defender Pique said it was not "Twitter, Marca or AS made me leave the Spanish national team, or Florentino [Perez]'s puppet publication OK Diario," per Xavi Hernandez of Marca.

In response, Inda slammed the 29-year-old centre-back and accused him of playing for the Spain team only as a money-making activity despite his reported support for Catalan independence, per Sport:

"

Neither a servant nor OK Diario have kicked you out of the national team. Your nonsense, your childishness and your anti-Spanish sentiment has kicked you out. I have not made the people whistle you in training and in matches.

Those people criticise you because you don’t feel the Spanish colours.

You have all the right in the world to be pro-independence. But that right comes with a consequence. If you don’t believe in Spain, which is very respectable, don’t play for the national team. You go with the national team because you like money more than a fat kid likes cake.

"

Barcelona-born, Pique won the 2012 UEFA European Championship and 2010 World Cup with his country but has long had a mixed relationship with fans of the Spain national team, regularly being booed and whistled at La Roja games, per Richard Innes in the Mirror.

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Most recently, he caused controversy after he was wrongly accused of cutting the Spanish flag off his shirt sleeves, a dispute he cited when announcing that he would retire from international duty after the World Cup in Russia, per BBC Sport: "I have tried everything, but I can't bear this anymore. Today's issue of the sleeves is the straw that breaks the camel. They've managed to make me lose the excitement of coming here and although after Russia I'll only be 31, I'll leave."

Pique will be a huge loss to the Spain team, as he is one of the world's top centre-backs and will likely still be in the prime of his career long after 2018.

A Premier League winner in his youth during his four years at Manchester United, since returning to Barcelona in 2008, Pique has won six La Liga titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues and the Copa del Rey four times.

He has been part of UEFA's Team of the Year four times in the last six years and has started the 2016-17 campaign in fine fashion, not least in front of goal—he has already netted twice in La Liga—per WhoScored.com:

As part of many other national teams, he would rightly be considered a legend of recent times, but there is a portion of the Spanish fanbase that has never taken to him.

They may well miss him when he's gone, but there seems no chance of him reversing his decision any time soon, meaning Spain manager Julen Lopetegui will now have to start preparing the way for his successor in the centre of defence.