Eric Abidal will be questioned after being named and linked in an attack on Paris Saint Germain women's team player, Kheira Hamraoui.
Hamraoui was rushed to hospital with injuries to her hands and legs after being pulled out of a car by two people wearing masks, as she made her way back from a club dinner, organised by PSG.
Teammate Aminata Diallo was driving at the time and was initially arrested on suspicion of plotting the assault, but was later released without charge after finding no evidence in implicating her in the attack.
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Diallo provided evidence to police following the attack, claiming she heard one of the attackers ask Hamraoui: "So, you sleep with married men?" Hamraoui reportedly confirmed the comment, and that is where Abidal comes into this sorry story.
A report from The Times confirmed that Abidal will be questioned by prosecutors after discovering that a SIM card in Hamraoui's phone was in his name.
French media publication Le Monde described a "privileged relationship" between the France and PSG striker with Abidal, with a "line of inquiry of a vengeance linked to possible adulterous relations" being pursued by detectives, according to Le Parisien.
It is also possible that Abidal's wife, Hayet, may also be questioned, after comments made by Maryvonne Caillibotte, the state prosecutor in Versailles.
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L'Equipe, also reports that in addition to the attack, four PSG women's team players received anonymous telephone calls from a man claiming to be Hamraoui's former lover in Barcelona.
The 31-year-old spent three years at the club between 2018 and 2021, with the caller claiming she had "broken his life" and that he planned revenge.
Despite the SIM card revelation, Abidal's lawyer, Maître Olivier Martin, said: "He is in no way linked directly or indirectly to the assault on Ms Hamraoui." And that the former France and Barcelona defender "will answer all the questions asked of him."
Amidst all the turmoil, PSG had asked for their match against Lyon to be postponed following the attack on Hamraoui and Diallo's arrest. This, however, was refused and Lyon ran out 6-1 winners.
Topics: Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain