Spanish defender Gerard Pique has been forced to deny claims that he disrespected Spain's national anthem before yesterday's 2-1 loss to Croatia.  

Video footage of the Catalan defender moving the fingers on his right hand while the national anthem was being played went viral after detractors suggested Pique had sneakily stuck out his middle finger mid-song. 

But the defender reacted to the controversy with disdain, posting to Twitter that he was simply cracking his knuckles. 

"Let's stop looking for controversy where there is none," he wrote. 

Spain lost 2-1 to Croatia in yesterday's game. The loss means they failed to finish top of their group and will now face a repeat of the Euro 2012 final against Italy during their Euro 2016 final 16 match. 

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