Hayet Abidal, the wife of Barcelona legend Eric Abidal, has reportedly become a suspect in the attack on PSG Women player Kheira Hamraoui.
It was reported yesterday that Abidal would be questioned as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack, which took place on November 4th as Hamraoui returned home from a dinner organised by PSG.
The 31-year-old midfielder was dragged out of the car by two men masked in balaclavas, who hit her legs repeatedly with an iron bar. Hamraoui was taken to hospital and given stitches in her hands and legs.
According to Le Monde, Abidal is set to be questioned after investigators found the SIM card in Hamraoui’s telephone was registered under his name.
The 42-year-old is not thought to be suspected of direct involvement in the attack, but investigators reportedly want to examine his "privileged relationship" with Hamraoui.
Maryvonne Caillibotte, the state prosecutor in Versailles, told Le Monde that Abidal’s wife may also be questioned, and L'Equipe - as cited by Marca - are reporting that Hayet is now a suspect in the case.
It has been alleged that Hayet's involvement in the incident could have been personal revenge for a reported affair between her husband and Hamraoui, although these newspaper reports have not been confirmed by official sources.
Speculation that the attack was related to a personal matter first emerged following testimony from Aminata Diallo, the PSG player who drove Hamraoui home from the restaurant.
Diallo informed police that she had heard the attackers tell her teammate: "So . . . you sleep with married men?"
Hamraoui has reportedly confirmed the comment, but denied ever having a relationship with a married man.
The 42-year-old Abidal, who mainly played for Lyon and Barcelona during an illustrious career, has been married to Hayet since 2003. The couple have five children together.
Abidal was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in 2011, and underwent a liver transplant a year later. He was unable to recover fully on the pitch, and retired in 2014, returning to Barcelona as the club’s director of football from 2018 and 2020.
The news of the brutal attack on Hamraoui first broke when Diallo was taken into police custody last Wednesday.
It was suspected Diallo had orchestrated the attack in order to keep Hamraoui off the football pitch, as both women play in the same role for both PSG and the French national team.
The 26-year-old Diallo was released from police custody without charge, however, and she has since pleaded her innocence.