A day after the Barcelona board of directors threatened a "wide restructuring" after 8-2 in Lisbon, the entity announced the departure of the hitherto technical secretary, Eric Abidal. The executive had long been convicted in several of the Camp Nou's areas of influence. He had enemies both in the board and, above all, in the first team dressing room , where he was not well received since he accused the players of the firing of Ernesto Valverde and Leo Messi ended up putting the cross on him. According to Barcelona sources, Abidal himself has claimed to agree to his departure one day after the board assumed that he was going to continue.

It was in June 2018 when President Bartomeu decided not to extend the contract to Robert Fernández -who in turn had relieved Andoni Zubizarreta in January 2015- so that it was Eric Abidal who would direct the technical secretariat. Two years later, the former Barcelona defender marches at least obtaining the gratitude of the private Quique Setién : "The club publicly expresses its gratitude to Abidal for the professionalism, commitment, dedication and positive and close treatment that he has shown always towards all the levels that make up the Barcelona squad, and wishes him luck and success in the future ".

First under the supervision of the former sports manager of the entity until July 2019, Pep Segura, and later with complete control of the sports area together with Ramon Planes, Abidal's work never ceased to be questioned in the entity. Especially after Barcelona concluded this season with the first team minimized and with hardly any professional chips. In memory, that turbulent winter market in which there was no way to reinforce the lead, and then pay the termination clause to Martin Braithwaite's Leganés for 18 million euros .

It had to be Abidal who facilitated the chain of transmission between the dressing room and the board. And, above all, who would watch over the large group of French footballers, especially those with more difficulties, such as Dembélé and Umtiti . Abidal was also one of the most insistent in hiring Antoine Griezmann, despite the fact that he, a year before his hiring, exposed the club by rejecting the offer through a television documentary.

Although it was the events of last January that ended up leaving Abidal on his way to the exit door. Without Valverde having yet been fired, he let himself be hunted in Doha together with the entity's CEO, Òscar Grau. Both had gone in search of Xavi Hernández so that he could take charge of the first team . They tried to hide themselves by photographing themselves with Ousmane Dembélé, who was in Qatar recovering from his last injury.

Once the dismissal of Valverde was made official, Abidal came up with explanations. And he accused the footballers of being responsible for the coach's dismissal: "Many players were not satisfied or worked hard with Valverde . " Messi reacted with virulence and, through social networks, reprimanded him: "I honestly don't like doing these things, but I think that everyone has to be responsible for their tasks and take charge of their decisions. When it comes to players, they would have We have to give names because, if not, we are all getting dirty ".

Abidal also had to defend the signing of Quique Setién before the managers after convincing them that the Cantabrian would execute a Cruyffista plan . Not only was it not like that, without Setién signing a blank year after failing both in the League, as in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Abidal and Setién shared a farewell meal on Monday while the Bartomeu government tried to get out of the volcano.

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