Bengaluru, July 5: It was one of the most amazing stories in sporting history as Barcelona veteran Eric Abidal recovered from a tumor in his liver to get back on the field to play. Abidal suffered from a tumor in his liver in 2011 and had underwent a surgery to fix it. However, the Frenchman had to undergo a liver transplant a year later due to unresolved problems in his previous surgery.

Recent reports now accuse Barcelona that their former president Sandro Rosell illegally bought a liver for Eric Abidal. Initially it was reported that Abidal's brother Gerard was the donor, while Abidal's friend and team-mate Dani Alves had also offered his organ for a transplant back in 2012, but that didn't happen.

Reports in Spain claim Rosell, who was arrested for money-laundering in 2017, purchased the organ. The Catalan club have denied any such claims and so has Abidal, also expressing his sadness regarding the news.

FC Barcelona have made an official statement on the story reported by 'El Confidencial' on Wednesday. The official statement from Barcelona read: "In light of stories published today in relation to the liver transplant received by the club's former player and current Technical Secretary, Éric Abidal, FC Barcelona roundly deny any irregularity in the matter, as have Abidal and the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona facility.

"The stories ommit an important fact, as this case was closed by a Barcelona court on May 18th. This omission has caused damage to the reputation of Éric Abidal, all of the organisations involved in the transplant procedures, FC Barcelona and former club president Sandro Rosell.

"The club are saddened by the lack of rigor in the spreading of such information about such a sensitive issue, and reaffirm our commitment to Éric Abidal and his foundation to help improve the lives of children and young people affected by similar medical treatments."

In a statement, Abidal spoke of his "annoyance and sadness" regarding the claims. "My cousin Gerard donated his liver to save my life and for this I am truly grateful to him," he said on Twitter. Abidal, 38, is currently the technical secretary at Barcelona.