Football
Club Barcelona on Tuesday confirmed the sacking of Eric Abidal as sporting director, continuing the ongoing restructuring of the club.  

The former
French full-back, who made close to 200 appearances for Barcelona, was hired in
June 2018, with one of his last acts being showing the door to manager Quique Setien on
Monday.

In a
statement, the club said, “FC Barcelona and Eric Abidal have reached an
agreement to end the contract that united the two parties.”

“The Club would
publicly like to thank Eric Abidal for his professionalism, commitment,
dedication and the close and positive nature of his relationship with all
aspects of the blaugrana family.”

Also Read: ‘We have hit rock bottom’: Gerard Pique on Barcelona’s humbling loss to Bayern Munich

Abidal had publicly
criticised players for not taking responsibility on the pitch following the
sacking of former manager Ernesto Valverde earlier this year, drawing the ire of captain Lionel Messi.

In an Instagram
post, Messi asked Abidal to call specific names, adding that not doing so tars
the image of the whole squad.

Barcelona’s
overhaul of their backroom staff continues on the back of a dreadful 19-20
campaign, in which they did not lift a single trophy for the first time in 12
years.

Dismal form in the La Liga since the restart
saw the Blaugrana meekly surrendering their crown to bitter rivals Real Madrid. They
were also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey following a 1-0
loss to Athletic Bilbao.

This was
followed by unprecedented humiliation in the Champions League as they shipped
eight goals to a ruthless Bayern Munich, continuing their theme of painful
exits from the competition in recent years.

The club’s under-fire
president Josep Maria Bartomeu had promised “wholesale changes” to the club following
the European debacle, although fans have long been crying out for his resignation.

However, he
is set to remain at the club for at least another season as it was earlier confirmed
that next year’s presidential elections, scheduled for June, will be brought
forward to March 15.