Barcelona (AFP)
Barcelona in the middle of a psychodrama: disappointing sports results, failed transfer window, messy mess and, now, heavy internal tensions ... The beginning of 2020 revealed deep flaws in the Barça institution, illustrated by a public tackle from Lionel Messi to sports director Eric Abidal.
"Everyone must take responsibility": the unusual departure of Captain Messi on Tuesday evening on Instagram, in response to an interview with Abidal in the daily Sport, put under pressure the Frenchman, boss of the blaugrana sports sector since 2018 and ex- "Pulga" teammate at Barça.
"Honestly, I don't like to do this kind of thing, but I believe that everyone should be responsible for their tasks and take responsibility for their decisions," said Messi.
In this interview, Abidal explains that "many players were not satisfied" with coach Ernesto Valverde, sacked in mid-January despite two Ligas won in two and a half seasons, and replaced by Quique Setién. A bomb, in a club often accused of leaving excessive power to its major players.
- "Assume the decisions" -
"Those responsible for sports management must also take their responsibilities and above all take responsibility for the decisions they make," said the 2019 Ballon d'Or, broadcasting a screenshot of the interview given by "Abi".
By the way, the sixfold Ballon d'Or also asks Abidal to "give names" of the accused players, "because otherwise it harms us all and feeds things that are said and that are not accurate".
In the Sport columns, the sports director remained vague on the players concerned.
"A lot of the players were dissatisfied and didn't work much, and in addition there was an internal communication problem. The coach-player relationship has always been good, but there are things I can feel as a "ex-player. I communicated to the club what I thought about it, and a decision had to be made," said Abidal (40).
Statements that the management of the blaugrana club, in the midst of negotiations for the extension of Messi's contract ending in 2021, may have trouble digesting.
The Argentinian "has the experience and the ability to decide what he has or does not have to do", tried to play down the new Barcelona coach Quique Setién on Wednesday. "I'm not going to get into Messi's life, or anyone else's life. I have to make sure my players are happy," he said.
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu was scheduled to meet with Abidal on Wednesday afternoon, according to specialist media based in Barcelona, who left doubts about the future of the Frenchman.
- "Abidal, on the edge of the abyss" -
"Abidal, on the brink of the abyss," headlined Marca on Wednesday on her website. "Total chaos at Barça", even insisted the sports daily, while the sports director already seemed shaken after a failed winter transfer window.
In late January, Barça decided not to recruit a striker to compensate for the injury of Uruguayan Luis Suarez, operated on the meniscus of the right knee and absent until mid-May, betting on a rapid return of Ousmane Dembélé. But the French international left winger, in turn, suffered a serious injury to the right thigh and will likely be absent until the end of the season.
Above all, after a failed Super Cup (elimination in the semi-finals by Atlético Madrid 3-2, January 9 in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia), the Abidal negotiations with the legend blaugrana Xavi, converted coach to Qatar, n 'were unsuccessful.
Barça in crisis? Zinedine Zidane is not of this opinion: "They will be competitive until the end of the season, they will have no weaknesses. They will get by. (...) Good players are always good" , tempered Wednesday the coach of Real Madrid, great rival of Barça.
To try to put out the fire, the Catalans will however have to qualify for the King's Cup semi-finals on Wednesday evening on the lawn of Athletic Bilbao ... where the fire could start again.
© 2020 AFP