IN SPORT.ES
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu plans to meet with sporting director Eric Abidal on Wednesday as an institutional crisis grips the Catalan club.
According to RAC1, Bartomeu was away on Tuesday and did not find out about the clash of words between Abidal and star player Lionel Messi until early on Wednesday morning, which led to him arranging to meet with the ex-France international as soon as he landed back in Catalonia.
Everything started with an interview Abidal gave to SPORT and the reaction Messi had to his comments on social media.
Abidal said that some players "weren't satisfied nor were they working hard" under sacked coach Ernesto Valverde, which led Messi to respond, asking him to take responsibility for his actions and name players rather than generalising.
Also scheduled for Wednesday is a press conferenced with coach Quique Setien. It's not known if there will be any other public appearances from the club's hierarchy to tend to the issue.