Merci Abi!

Eric Abidal and club announce the frenchman will leave this summer.

I cried during the press conference... horrible.

Sandro Rosell and Zubi have no balls or respect, would not give an answer as to why decision was made. That makes 2 players treated disgracefully, Muniesa and Abidal. Both players deserved immense support from the club.

Vid: Abidal says farewell to teammates; reduced to tears. Go to 1:01:00.



Vid: Homage to Abidal

it pains me to see that our board can act like this. where's the mes que un club mentality when u nneed it?

Act like how? The team desperately needs revitalizing and distance itself from the past. It definitely has been mes que un club at the times of Abidal's illness.

GOAT

I'm not exactly sure what the board is at fault for either. It's not like they're kicking him out of the club, his contract expired. He plays in a position where there are two players ahead of him and we're bringing in more CBs. His playing time will be limited. In sight of his age it's likely he will never be the footballer he was before, and he will be more useful to a Ligue 1 club than for us. We might have had a use for him, but if the board didn't think so they shouldn't renew.

Feel like this was very uneeded. I don't think anyone knows what he has left but I doubt very much he's a worse centerback than bloody Mascherao and Adriano.

Would a 1 season test run be all that bad? He would probably retire if it didn't work anyway.

I get well need to get rid of deadwood but I can think of a few better options before Abidal.

I'm not real happy with this.

Why angry at board?

1) What Dani just said... We'll end up using Mascherano and Adriano at CB I can feel it.

2) Despite everything he went through the club didn't even speak with him about his future for months there. Well documented. They owed it to him out of respect.

3) He WANTED to stay and retire in Barcelona. Again, like Dani said, surely 1 season test would be fine. Not like he'd cause problems and he is great to have around just for character.

4) If they made that technical decision they need to own it. In the press conference a number of journalists asked Rosell and Zubi why he was leaving. They avoided the question every time and Abidal looked distressed. At one point Rosell just said "I'll let Zubi answer this...". Have some balls please.

That weasel president of yours is revealing his true colours. I believe what Laporta said about him now. Clown. Good luck Abi. Still hate you for putting valencia in yur back pocket in 2011 cl fina

The Franchise wrote:Feel like this was very uneeded. I don't think anyone knows what he has left but I doubt very much he's a worse centerback than bloody Mascherao and Adriano.
Would a 1 season test run be all that bad? He would probably retire if it didn't work anyway.

I get well need to get rid of deadwood but I can think of a few better options before Abidal.

I'm not real happy with this.

this ffs

I'm at a loss for words. This is so dog-eat-dog.

6960000 wrote:I'm at a loss for words. This is so dog-eat-dog.

more like Rossel eat dog

I'll give my take on the comments you all have made. You don't have to agree with me. I could easily be wrong. All I am doing is trying some "logical" guess work to understand what exactly happened.

As this year progressed no one knew if Abidal would ever be able to play football again. I think the board didn't even expect him to expect a renewal. Hence they may not have felt the need to formally communicate that to him.

While he came back and showed that he could still play football there are many unanswered questions. How long would he last before his illness could resume? How much stress would he be able to take? How much physical work could you make him do?

Some of you have raised the question about why he wasn't offered a one year deal. I can think of two reasons. One is that even though as stated most of the alternatives we have are clearly worse players we can still ask those guys to run that extra mile but in his case we may be worried about pushing him hard. The second is that we could have offered him a contract with very low wages or in the worst case a pay as you play deal but it's quite possible he would have seen that as a bigger insult than not being offered a renewal.

How come other clubs are able to make him offers? Firstly I think some of it could be propaganda by his agent. Secondly those clubs can easily offer him very low wages and no one will see that as an offense. If Barca did that it would have created a major hue and cry.

Next comes the question why he was informed so late. I already began answering part of it. I think what happened was he started renewal talks about possibly a month back. The board may have initially been surprised by his request. Then they needed time to discuss and make a decision. Once the decision was made they also needed time to deliberate how best to communicate to him. Meanwhile Abidal and his agent used the media to put pressure on the board. Like some here feel aggrieved by how the board has behaved in this matter I didn't quite like this action of Abidal.

As to why they are not answering questions about this openly it's a very delicate matter and even one wrong word can be blown out of proportion. Besides they perhaps don't want to share doubts about his health so openly because that could impact his getting offers from other clubs.

See a club, even more than a club, is after all a business and in a business you can't be nice beyond a point. When he fell ill the first time the club still gave him a renewal. Now after the second time how far can we continue to tempt fate.

People have compared the situation with Tito's. I think there is a key difference. The difference is that as player the physical exertion is much more than as a coach. On one side some of us have been asking the board to be more ruthless with Tito. I hope at least those people don't expect them to be kinder to Abidal. Overall these are very delicate matters in which you perhaps just can't win no matter what decisions you take.

We gave Abidal one chance. That itself seems to justify the club's motto. Giving a second chance may be pushing it too far.

I respect Abidal's decision to continue to play but speaking strictly personally it would have been best for him to retire at this point and look at other aspects of life. Let us hope that his desire to continue playing football does not cause him any kind of problems in future.

Most importantly Abidal's association with Barcelona has been exceptionally good. Of course nothing is perfect and there would be a few minor misgivings on either side over a time period as long as six years but neither side should say a word about that as this point. In fact it's better never to say anything even slightly negative about each other. The association was so beautiful that both sides should just end this matter with very warm and positive thoughts about each other.

Considering everything I must say I have blamed the board for a lot of things but in this matter I for one don't point fingers at them, at least not yet. If something more comes to light then the thoughts could change.

We all thank Abidal for his dedicated service and wish him all the very best for the future. He is a wonderful player and human being whose immense contributions to Pep's all time great team will remain forever in our memories. Hope to see him back with us in an administrative capacity some day.

Thanks Abidal! Best of luck!

I'm torn in the middle here. Clearly the board has misbehaved. They promised Abidal a renewal if he could play again (Bartomeu) and then didn't deliver (another lie in the long list). Also, if they finally don't renew him, I think they could have the balls to explain the departure.

However, as Jiopsi points out we gave Abidal a renewal when he already had cancer. If he can't be at top level, then I understant not renewing him, but nobody has acknoweledged that he isn't at top level again. However, if it's for physical problems, why would we renew players like Puyol or Adriano that are always injured?

As usually, lies, bad communication, and dubious general management, make bad a decision that could be reasonable.

JD I highly doubt Abidal would be offended by any offer. He probably feels very gratful we stuck with him finacially and morally for his 2 years out. Clearly he simply wanted to retire with us.

I didn't even know he was promised a renewed contract like Free said...even more dissapointing.

How did Abidal put pressure on the board?

The its a buisness makes no sense to me. He can play, clearly he has offers because other believe that also. Why should he retire if clubs and he believes he can continue? I don't know scientifically but why would the physical extertion of a playing career hinder his health? You seem to imply that as a given but I don't know hats he case at all...if it was the docors would surely say so and he wouldn't even bother making any sort of comeback.

It seems to me like the board are trying to have it both ways. The want the happy ending for the Abidal story but they don't want to keep him for reasons I still don't understand..perhaps because they fail to explain themselves.

BarcaKizz wrote:Why angry at board?

1) What Dani just said... We'll end up using Mascherano and Adriano at CB I can feel it.

2) Despite everything he went through the club didn't even speak with him about his future for months there. Well documented. They owed it to him out of respect.

3) He WANTED to stay and retire in Barcelona. Again, like Dani said, surely 1 season test would be fine. Not like he'd cause problems and he is great to have around just for character.

4) If they made that technical decision they need to own it. In the press conference a number of journalists asked Rosell and Zubi why he was leaving. They avoided the question every time and Abidal looked distressed. At one point Rosell just said "I'll let Zubi answer this...". Have some balls please.

I wouldn't mind selling Masche & Adriano and keeping Abidal, but if the technical team sees no future for Abidal at the club then he shouldn't stay.

The club was probably waiting to see how his situation evolved. Not saying it's right to say nothing to him, but they probably wanted to see his physical state at the end of the season.

Just because he wanted to retire here doesn't mean he should. I get that he's a fan favorite but like I said, if Tito doesn't believe in him he shouldn't stay.

I agree with point 4.

This is unbelievable.

Not only was Abidal promised he would be able to stay if he could play, he managed to go 90 minutes what, 2 weeks ago? Maybe the physical exertion over the course of a full season is too much for him, but he doesn't need to play every game. In fact, I know Abidal (having gone through what he has) doesn't expect to play all that much. He expects to be able to play when called upon and given a chance at the club that has stuck with him during trying times.

When he has played this season, he's showed the quality I rarely see from defenders at this club in recent times- he was class. Clearly the ability is still there, and clearly he is still able to play every once in a while, if he was able to do it this season finally after coming back, he could surely do so next season after a summer of training, and getting back into even better physical shape than he was.

Even a 50% Abidal is better than the likes of Alba, Masch, Bartra, and Adriano.

The way that it's been handled I'm not quite as upset as say Kizz, but it's upsetting and it's been disrespectful to a player whose been nothing but respectful and humble and amazing as Abidal has been throughout his time here. A model professional and if it were up to me I'd plaster his face everywhere in a Barca shirt before anyone else (no disrespect there to any of our players of course).

I have to agree with Dani here, I don't see the harm in a 1 year contract renewal at the very least to see if he can do it. I don't think he needs large wages, he's more than grateful to the club and has expressed interest in retiring here. After that, we can give him a couple more years because I know he can and Abidal deserves to retire here.

Abidal, in my eyes, is a legend. Maybe not for Barcelona but certainly for me.

This news has ruined my whole week. How many times I wished he would retire at Barca...

I'll have to accept it but I am very upset about this.

I understand everyone's comments. I'd qualify my statements now since I was clearly emotional.

I think its just sad that the fairytale ends like this.

Anyway, I wanted this to not be a hate thread or argument. But reminiscing on some great moments. Feel free to join.

I think the way he went from a weakness in his first season to an immense, important player (maybe our best LB in a long time) was a great achievement.

He is a suburb player, and the only way his leaving would be justified is if Mascherano is also sold (to clearly show we are cleaning house of defenders we believe are not working) but that wont be the case..
Abidal is great hopefully he goes to french team so he can go back home and relax more, Barcelona apparently offered him a job in the technical staff which is great news and Abidal said he will return when he retires to accept that great offer.

The Franchise wrote:JD I highly doubt Abidal would be offended by any offer. He probably feels very gratful we stuck with him finacially and morally for his 2 years out. Clearly he simply wanted to retire with us.

I didn't even know he was promised a renewed contract like Free said...even more dissapointing.

How did Abidal put pressure on the board?

The its a buisness makes no sense to me. He can play, clearly he has offers because other believe that also. Why should he retire if clubs and he believes he can continue? I don't know scientifically but why would the physical extertion of a playing career hinder his health? You seem to imply that as a given but I don't know hats he case at all...if it was the docors would surely say so and he wouldn't even bother making any sort of comeback.

It seems to me like the board are trying to have it both ways. The want the happy ending for the Abidal story but they don't want to keep him for reasons I still don't understand..perhaps because they fail to explain themselves.

dani, it's a very delicate and complex matter in which it's hard to be certain of too many things. I will try to respond to your questions the best I can.

You think he wouldn't be offended by say a very low wages offer. I think he would be. I guess at this point we perhaps have no way of knowing which is right.

I also didn't know he was promised a renewal if he could play again. I think making such a statement, if it was made, was a mistake. When you say a player can play again what do you actually mean. It can range from being able to kick a ball with kids in the park to being able to play start to finish in a UCL final. Such a statement needs to be qualified much more and ideally such a statement should not even be made beforehand.

I read some comments on Twitter where Abidal's agent kept saying the Barca board is not giving us a clear cut answer and Abidal saying it seems they don't want me. I would have preferred they hadn't gone public with it considering how beautiful our association has been and there are too many in this world who are just looking for a spark to light a fire. The question here is when exactly did Abidal start his renewal talks with the board. Depending on that only we may be able to say whether the amount of time the board took to reply to him was justified or not.

You would understand this much better than me because you actually play the game but my feeling is a heart or liver problem is very different from a physical (say knee or thigh) injury. In the latter case once the player is declared fit again you wouldn't have any qualms about pushing him just as much as any other player. However in the case of a player with the former problem there would be a fear at the back of your mind. What if a certain command or push of yours say as coach or trainer leads to something terrible. You'll never be able to live that down all your life. My feeling is that the coaching staff and/or technical team were uncomfortable having such a player in the ranks.

If you say you don't understand the reasons I understand it to mean you don't think the reasons are what have been stated on this thread so far. If that's the case then I too am perplexed because I can't think of any other reason not to keep him. He is an awesome player and considering our defensive options or lack of them rather who would need him more than us.

Well I find it very hard to believe if explained well, Abidal wouldn't understand the need for a lower offer considering his situation but let us move on.

That stuff said by agent and himself I don't have a probpem with. To me hats just Abidal showing he wants to stay and an agent doing his due dilligance. Nothing negative said about us at all....and considering well lied to him he would be within his rights to I think.

When I say play again, I mean play at he top level at rate you woukd expect from any 33 year old missing 2 seasons. Part time when called upon. Many players at older agehave done his.

I don't think physically he is incapable or he wouldn't be out there. If he staff has concens then tell us...explain the decision and situation

David Venditelli (agent Abidal): "The club has been sincere. We understand their decision, although we don't share it."

"We have been in touch with other teams, although we don't have concrete proposals. We're not in a hurry." [rie]

Abi almost crying and our president and sports director laughing. Clowns.

The Franchise wrote:Well I find it very hard to believe if explained well, Abidal wouldn't understand the need for a lower offer considering his situation but let us move on.

That stuff said by agent and himself I don't have a probpem with. To me hats just Abidal showing he wants to stay and an agent doing his due dilligance. Nothing negative said about us at all....and considering well lied to him he would be within his rights to I think.

When I say play again, I mean play at he top level at rate you woukd expect from any 33 year old missing 2 seasons. Part time when called upon. Many players at older agehave done his.

I don't think physically he is incapable or he wouldn't be out there. If he staff has concens then tell us...explain the decision and situation

dani, very fair comments. Just one point I want to add about why the staff are not sharing their concerns, if any. My feeling is that if they know something they are not making it public because they don't want to negatively affect his future playing prospects.

Perhaps JD but I'm fairly confident they are smart enough to do so without damaging Abidals prospects.

For example, "Abidal is still a great player, but we already have many options in his positions and we are perhaps looking into adding another. Abidal will need time on the field to progress which we are unable to give him".

I dunno something like that.