Barcelona mentioned on Tuesday that they have sacked the sporting director Eric Abidal, a day following the sacking of Quique Setien in response to exiting the UEFA Champions League last week with an 8-2 drubbing by Bayern Munich.
Abidal, who is a double Champions League winner as a Barcelona player, had been in the role for more than two years but has been let go following the club's worst seasons in recent memory, in which they also lost the league title to Real Madrid.
Abidal Sacked by Barcelona
The Frenchman was also the target of criticism from Lionel Messi earlier this year, who accused his former teammate of blaming the squad for Ernesto Valverde getting sacked as coach last January.
Abidal joined Barca as a player in 2007 and became one of the club's most popular players for enduring a battle with cancer, which forced him to undergo a liver transplant in 2012. "The club would publicly like to thank Éric Abidal for his professionalism, commitment, dedication and the close and positive nature of his relationship with all aspects of the Barca family," the club said in a statement.
(With agency inputs)
