On Sunday, Barcelona asked for their clash with Las Palmas to be postponed due to the chaos that erupted in the region over the Catalan referendum for independence. However, their request was denied and the Blaugrana went ahead with their game, playing behind closed doors.
A meeting had been held in the dressing room prior to kick-off to decide whether to play or not. President Josep Maria Bartomeu and vice-president of sports Jordi Mestre met with the squad to inform them that they risked being slapped with a six-point penalty had they suspended the game without the permission of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
"If we lose the league for those six points, no one will remember the suspension of this game, only that we are not champions," Bartomeu said (as per Marca) with the intention of playing.
A small group of Barcelona players felt they should not play. Sergi Roberto was one of them, and that group was led by Gerard Pique, who later admitted he is ready to leave the national team over his support for Catalonia’s independence.
However, the majority of the players wanted to play. Captain Andres Iniesta was for going ahead with the game, but insisted that the decision should be made by the higher-ups and not the players.
Valverde also felt the game should not be suspended. A vote took place which eventually decided the fate of the weekend game. According to Marca, “Lionel Messi didn’t say anything”.
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