Attack with iron bars
Beat attack on PSG soccer player: New lead leads to former Barca star
She is the victim: Kheira Hamraoui has called on her lawyer to respect her privacy
© Franck Fife / AFP
The soccer player Kheira Hamraoui was the victim of a beating attack. First a teammate was suspected of being behind the robbery, now the police are following a lead that leads to Eric Abidal, a former star of FC Barcelona.
The victim has made an appeal to the public. Paris Saint-Germain professional footballer Kheira Hamraoui wrote in a letter from her attorney asking that her “private life be respected as well as her decision to remain silent during this difficult investigation.” The 31-year-old French woman is at the center of a case that has preoccupied French football for over a week. The latest twist: Police are following a lead that leads to Eric Abidal, a former professional and manager of FC Barcelona.
What happened? Hamraoui wanted to drive home in the car with his teammate Aminata Diallo on the evening of November 4th after a team dinner in Paris. Suddenly two men appeared and dragged Hamraoui out of the car. One of the perpetrators beat her with an iron bar, apparently aiming particularly at the legs while Dialo was being held. This is how her lawyer put it. The injuries were so severe that the Frenchwoman was absent for several weeks.
Teammate Diallo quickly came under suspicion
Teammate Diallo was quickly suspected and the police even took her into custody. She should have given the order to raid out of rivalry with Hamraoui. Much was reminiscent of the world-famous case of US figure skater Tonya Harding, whose husband had commissioned an iron bar attack on competitor Nancy Kerrigan’s legs. It was quickly forgotten that Hamraoui and Diallo are considered good friends. The suspicion against Diallo evaporated just as quickly.
Now the police are pursuing a new lead, as the French media unanimously report. The track leads to Eric Abidal, who was a professional at FC Barcelona from 2007 to 2013. Hamraoui used a SIM card for her cell phone that is approved on Abidal. Hamraoui is said to have told investigators that the SIM card was “in the name of her ex,” reports the AFP news agency with reference to a source. You have to know: Abidal was Ambassador and Managing Director Sport at FC Barcelona from 2018 to 2020. During this time, Hamraoui also played for the Catalans and won the triple in 2021 before moving to Paris.
Questioning Abidal’s wife is not excluded
As a precaution, Abidal let his lawyer know that he denied any involvement in the crime, but that he would “answer all questions that were asked of him.” There is speculation in the French media whether Abidal’s wife will soon be questioned by the police. The prosecutor in the case did not rule out questioning, but stressed that it was one trace among many.
Sources:“RP online”, “Southgerman newspaper”, AFP