Barcelona have announced the departure of sporting director, Eric Abidal, just one day after sacking head coach, Quique Setien, reports skysports.com.
Abidal, a former Barcelona defender and two-times Champions League winner with the club, had been in the role for over two years.
Setien was relieved of his duties in the wake of Friday’s embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, with Barcelona warning of a “broad restructuring of the first-team”.
The Spanish club acted quickly to agree a deal in principle to bring in Netherlands head coach, Ronald Koeman, to replace Setien.
One of Abdial’s final acts in his role as Barcelona sporting director was to inform Setien of the club’s decision to let him go in a meeting in the days following last week’s elimination from the Champions League.
Barcelona announced the departure in a statement yesterday: “The FC Barcelona and Éric Abidal have reached an agreement for the termination of the contract binding both parties.
“The Club publicly expresses its gratitude to Éric Abidal for the professionalism, commitment, dedication and positive and close treatment that he has always shown towards all the estates that make up the Barça family, and wishes him luck and success in the future.”
