Former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal has apologised to his wife and asked for forgiveness after she stated she would be filing for divorce.
RMC Sport reported a statement given by the lawyer of Abidal’s wife, Hayet, to AFP. The statement alleged that Eric Abidal admitted to his wife that he had an affair with PSG Women player Kheira Hamraoui.
The statement also alleges that Abidal admitted the affair after police, whilst investigating an attack on Hamraoui, which took place on November 4, found a chip in the PSG midfielder’s phone that was in Abidal’s name.
Abidal’s lawyer, Olivier Martin, stated on Tuesday (as per Marca): “There is a lot of noise around Eric and his family, but there’s no case against Abidal.”
“The divorce is related to his private life. It’s a shame his privacy isn’t being respected. Eric is not involved in that case.”
What has Abidal said?
Abidal has posted an emotional message to his official Instagram account. In the post, he asks for forgiveness from his wife. He adds that he “deserve[s] this humiliation”.
The Frenchman wrote: “Hayet Abidal forgive me. No matter your decision, you will remain in my eyes the woman of my life, and especially the mother of our wonderful children. I deserve this humiliation even if it kills me alive. Thank God one day you may forgive me.”
Eric Abidal as a player
Eric Abidal started his professional career in France, playing for Monaco, Lille and Lyon.
The French defender spent three seasons with the latter, helping them win three consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He also started every game in the 2006 World Cup in Germany as France finished as runners-up to Italy.
A year later, he made a move to FC Barcelona. He was a regular in the side in his first four seasons, predominantly featuring at left-back as Barca won an incredible 13 trophies.
However, his career was interrupted in March 2011 when he was diagnosed with a liver tumour, which required surgery. He made his return in time for the 2011 Champions League final, which Barcelona won. But the defender needed a liver transplant a year later, which caused him to miss a year of action.
Abidal made five appearances for Barca in the 2012/13 season before leaving for Monaco that summer. He would end his career with Greek giants Olympiakos, retiring in 2015.
The Frenchman held a role as Barca’s director of football between 2018 and 2020.
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