Football: Martinez in for injured Pique

MADRID: Spain called up 24-year-old Javi Martinez to stand in for injured defender Gerard Pique in their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against France and Belarus. Coach Vicente del Bosque also left Chelsea star forward Juan Mata out of the squad, which includes his club teammate Fernando Torres and Barcelona’s David Villa among its strike force. Pique has not ruled out returning to action in tomorrow’s league clash against Real Madrid, but del Bosque left him out of the national squad for games against Belarus and France. “I don’t know whether Pique will play, but he has not trained and I didn’t think it suitable to call him up,” said del Bosque.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2012.