Why Éric Abidal declined to be Lyon’s sporting director? | OneFootball

The state of affairs at Olympique Lyonnais is a big reason why the club failed to bring back one of its best defenders from the early 2000s.

Éric Abidal spent three seasons at the club from 2004 to 2007, helping them win three Ligue 1 titles before making a move to Barcelona.

Lyon wanted him to be their new sporting director, an offer which, according to the 2006 World Cup runner-up, was not appealing enough.

Abidal told Free Foot, “I was contacted by OL. I had a discussion with them. It is a club with enormous potential. Now I am not sure that it is currently structured in the way it would be necessary to have stability.”

He adds that he believes there is a gap between the club’s structure and the football part, which factored into his decision to decline the offer.

According to the two-time UEFA Champions League winner at Barcelona, there is no stability at Lyon right now regarding sporting decisions, something he says is a mistake.

After announcing his retirement as a player, Abidal served as the director of football at Barcelona from June 2018 until his sacking in August 2020 after his side were routed 8-2 by Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarter-final clash.

Abidal began his footballing career at Lyon Duchère before moving to the Principality at AS Monaco between 2000 and 2002.

On three occasions, he was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year while at Lyon, and he was also on the 2007 UEFA Team of the Year, with his side topping a Champions League group that featured Real Madrid in 2006-07.

Last month, Lyon parted ways with David Friio reportedly because of his inability to move players on high wages out of the club.

That left him at odds with owner John Textor, as their relationship had reportedly been on shaky ground for months. During the summer transfer window, the club made more than 20 signings and said goodbye to over a dozen players.

At the same time, they failed to get some high-profile players off their books, including Anthony Lopes (34), who is still at the club but as fourth-choice goalkeeper.

Earlier this week L’Équipe reported that former Dijon defender Daniel Congré will become the club’s new Sporting Coordinator. He won’t be involved in recruiting or any decision-making but instead mental preparation.

L’Équipe understands that Les Gones do not plan to replace Friio, who was axed as the Lyon sporting director last month.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre