Wife of Barcelona icon files for divorce as iron bar attack scandal takes new twist
Hayet Abidal, wife of former Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal, has filed for divorce from the ex-French international as claims emerged of infidelity and links to the attack on female PSG player Kheira Hamraoui this month.
It was reported earlier this week that Hayet Abidal was being questioned by French authorities in relation to the violent assault on Hamraoui in which the footballer was attacked by masked men bearing iron bars after being dragged out of a car being driven by her Paris Saint-Germain teammate Aminata Diallo.
Hamraoui, 31, required treatment for injuries to her legs and arms after the attack – with French newspaper Le Monde stating this week that police were expanding their enquiries after Diallo was initially arrested before being released from custody without charge.
READ MORE: Image shows state of French footballer Hamraoui’s leg after iron bar attack
Eric Abidal, per Le Monde, was subject to an investigation after it was reported that a sim card discovered in Hamraoui's phone was registered to the former Barcelona man.
Hamraoui was a Barcelona player during Abidal's tenure as sporting director for the Catalan giants.
Further reporting has indicated that Hayet is being considered as a suspect in the case, apparently due to an alleged affair between Eric Abidal and Hamraoui – with Le Monde also stating that one of the masked attackers shouted towards her "you like to sleep with married men."
Friday saw a further twist in the tale as Hayet filed for divorce from the father of her five children, with a lawyer representing her stating that her motivation for doing so was due to his links to the Hamraoui case.
"Forced by circumstances and displeased by the Hamraoui case, Hayet Abidal will file for divorce in Barcelona. After the Prosecutor's Office of Versailles announced on Monday night that the footballer's phone chip was in the name of her husband Eric Abidal, he confessed that he had an adulterous relationship with Madame Hamraoui," said Hayet's lawyer, Jennifer Losada, via translation.
Losada added that her client is seeking to "clean up her honor and reputation" which she says has been "marred by rumors" and has requested to testify to authorities as soon as possible with the intention of clearing her name from links of her supposed involvement in the case.
READ MORE: Mystery deepens after French women’s football star battered with iron bar
Eric Abidal's lawyer Olivier Martin, meanwhile, has told the media that his client will not be making any type of statement at this time.
