Eric Abidal’s (40) chair at FC Barcelona had been faltering for a while. The French former defender, as technical director, mapped out a changeable transfer policy and went into the clinch with Lionel Messi at the beginning of this year.
After the dismissal of trainer Ernesto Valverde in January, Abidal seemed to put the responsibility also with the players group, which in turn went down the wrong way for the Argentinian superstar.
After the lousy end of the season – Barcelona lost the title in Spain and was humiliated in Europe – Abidal is now also paying a price.
“We thank Eric for his professionalism and dedication,” Barcelona announces the break.
Abidal defended the Barcelona colors between 2007 and 2013. The left-footed defender was drawn to the hearts of the club after battling a liver tumor.
In June 2018, Abidal started working at Camp Nou as technical director, but his transfer policy – very expensive purchases instead of allowing the youth to move on – was increasingly being blamed on him.
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