Abidal is named Sports Director of Barcelona

Eric Abidal is named Sports Director of Barcelona, replacing Robert Fernandez. The heads of the Catalan club announced that 55-year-old valentian Roberto Fernandez Bonilo, who has been covering for several years the technical secretary of Barca's first football team, would no longer renew contracts that ended on June 30th. Thus, after the occasional thanks and public gratitude for the contribution and dedication made by Robert Fernandez, the head of Club Barcelona's football preferred to charge such a responsibility to former left guard, French Eric Abidal. The 38-year-old native of the Caribbean, as his parents descended from Martinique, exactly a year ago was appointed by President Josep Maria Bartomeou as ambassador and representative of the blackgrana club through various activities around the globe.

Putting aside titles with Lyons, Abidal has won a total of 15 trophies with Barcha's fans in 6 seasons, from 2007-2013, yet in March 2011, the former Catalanian team's left guard, who has often covered the centre's role, was diagnosed with tumors, and a year later needed a transplant in the liver, however in May 2012, the doctors claimed that Eric Abidal could follow his football career as a footballer, and in fact, he continued his strong will to play until the end of 2014, such as the Moncom and Ocolys.

Roberto Fernandez's position and future were long unclear, however, Eric Abidal's appointment in the post of Barca Sports Director is now considered quite a surprise, as the former French footballer's name was never mentioned in the past few weeks as a possible candidacy to cover such a function. Finally, news of the contract's non-renovation in the role of technical secretary Robert Fernandez was communicated with by Vice President Jordi Mestre, as well as by other directors Oscar Graw and Pep Segura at a special board meeting. Eric Abidal will make the presentation and at the same time begin his new post as Barca Sports Director on the 18th of this month. /Top Channel