Barcelona have announced that Marc-André ter Stegen has been temporarily stripped of the club’s captaincy as the fallout from his lower back surgery continues.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that the goalkeeper refused to sign a consent form for his medical data to be shared with LaLiga, with Barça considering taking legal action in response.
Defender Ronald Araújo will take over as club captain until the issue is resolved, the club said.
“Barcelona hereby announces that, following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-André ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the sporting director and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain,” Barça said.
Barça could have at least 50% of the player’s salary freed up for registration purposes under LaLiga’s injury provision, a rule that applies if a player is sidelined for at least four months. While Barcelona believe Ter Stegen will be out for at least four months, the goalkeeper said in a statement that he expected to be back in action in just three months.
If Ter Stegen’s recovery time is more than four months, Barça could release him from his contract and register other players such as Marcus Rashford.
Barça signed Joan García from Espanyol to be their No. 1 goalkeeper and also decided to renew the contract of veteran Wojciech Szczesny.
Ter Stegen’s decision to undergo surgery was a major setback for Barcelona as ESPN had reported that the Catalan club had intended to let him leave the club this summer.
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Earlier this month, Barça players Frenkie de Jong and Ferran Torres, among others, backed Ter Stegen to continue as first-team captain.
“For me, Marc is the team’s captain, just like he was last season,” De Jong said.
“Marc is a world-class player and has always given his best to the club, so I fully support him. From what I know, the rest of the team does too.” Ter Stegen joined Barça from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014 and has been the team’s undisputed No.1 since 2016.
Barcelona have yet to register five players with 11 days to go before they begin their LaLiga title defence against Mallorca.
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