Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has called a meeting with Eric Abidal to discuss the sporting director’s future at the club following a public disagreement with Lionel Messi.
On Tuesday, Messi asked Abidal to “give names” after the latter criticised the club’s players over their work ethic. Abidal – a former team-mate of Messi at Barcelona – suggested players in the current team were unhappy and had not been working hard enough under former coach Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde was dismissed in January and subsequently replaced by Quique Setien. “A lot of players were not happy and did not work much and there was also a problem with internal communication,” Abidal told Spanish newspaper Sport.
“The relationship between the coach and dressing room was always good, but there are things that as an ex-player I can sense. I told the club what I thought and we had to make a decision.”
