Eric Abidal has left his post as Barcelona’s Sporting Director, the Spanish club have announced. The decision comes shortly after the sacking of Quique Setien as manager.
A former player for the Catalan giants, Abidal had occupied the role since his return to the La Liga club in June 2018.
Eric Abidal Leaves Sporting Director Position
Barcelona Confirm the News via Club Statement
A short statement released by Barcelona on Tuesday confirmed the news.
“FC Barcelona and Éric Abidal have reached an agreement for the ending of the contract that united the two parties,” it detailed.
“The club would publicly like to thank Éric Abidal for his professionalism, commitment, dedication, and the close and positive nature of his relationship with all aspects of the Blaugrana family.”
Abidal becomes the second high profile figure to leave the club in the aftermath of their shocking defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Manager Quique Setien was dismissed after only 25 games at the helm.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman is expected to become the new manager over the coming days.
Abidal’s Distinguished Playing Career
The Frenchman enjoyed a far more successful stint playing for the club than he did as its Sporting Director. The former Lyon left-back made 193 appearances for Barcelona, winning the Champions League on two occasions as well as four league titles with the club.
As Sporting Director, Abidal clashed with Argentine great Lionel Messi in February. The 40-year-old had stated that Barca’s players were not working hard enough for previous manager Ernesto Valverde. This prompted a strong response from Messi, who retorted that club executives should focus on their own jobs rather than criticising the players.
Barcelona announced then that Abidal would continue in his role, but after 6 months of further uncertainty and poor performances from the club, this is no longer the case.
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