Barcelona have released a statement firmly denying French international Eric Abidal’s accusations that the club did not pay him during his illness.
In an interview with the sports daily L’Equipe, the 34-year-old, who is with Monaco now, accused Barcelona of not paying his salary during his fight against liver cancer.
Barcelona’s statement on their official website read:
“Given the statements of Éric Abidal on the website of the newspaper ‘L’Equipe’, FC Barcelona has been in contact with the player and his representative to clarify between the two sides of the confusion created by the phrase “in the months I was sick the club did not pay me. ”
In this sense, the FC Barcelona clarifies that both parties confirm that the club has duly complied with the contractual commitments.
When Eric Abidal fell ill, the club did not exercise the option to terminate the contract unilaterally, as was signed by both parties. By mutual agreement, the FC Barcelona and the player left the contract suspended until he was medically discharged.
During this period Éric Abidal continued collecting the agreed fees and once he rejoined the first team, the left-back received a proportionate share of its listing.
On the occasion of the completion of the contract, the club and the player signed the corresponding settlement.”