Eric Abidal has had a difficult two years, first he divorced his wife Hayet in November 2021 after a scandal broke out when a member of Barcelona’s women's team, Kheira Hamraoui, was attacked in an apparent carjacking which later led to stories of infidelity between Abidal and Hamraoui. Hayet would later confess that Abidal had cheated on her on multiple occasions, even taking their children to see Hamraoui play.
On the sporting side he was sacked in 2020 as Barcelona’s Sporting Director after the disastrous 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League that season. Now according to reports out of Spain there is serious doubt regarding the circumstances of Abidal’s liver transplant back in 2012.
According to Marca, the National Institute of Toxicology assures that after various tests that there is no family lineage between the former Barcelona defender and his supposed cousin known as Gerard Armand. The information came to light following an article published in El Confidencial, where Abidal’s name is involved in an investigation looking into organ trafficking along with former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and Juanjo Castillo.
Why is Eric Abidal being investigated for organ trafficking?
Gerard Armand and Eric Abidal (Eric Abidal Social Media)
Abidal’s name is mixed up in the investigation since Spanish police began to look into the circumstances surrounding his liver transplant in 2012. The investigation began in 2017 where the police saw irregularities in the due process of the procedure that involved Abidal, the clinic, and Barcelona directors.
Rosell has spoken out regarding the allegations stating that he had nothing to do with the medical procedure or its due diligence that fell on the Clinic of Barcelona. "It cannot be asserted, in a reckless and tortuous manner as some media point out and which contradicts what the report itself indicates, that Armand and Abidal are not related in any way, since it has been proven that the tests carried out for this purpose are incomplete” was a quote from a statement in Rosell’s defense.
In an interview with the LaDépeche Gerard Armand stated “I never took a dime; all I did was donate an organ to save the life of a family member… I went to Barcelona to do a series of tests and analyses. They confirmed that my profile matched Abidal's. The doctors decided to take a part of my organ. I remember signing papers before a judge in Barcelona. All of this was transparent.”
Armand ended by stating “I will answer all questions. I have nothing to hide. I just want them to leave us alone."
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