Barcelona stripped Marc-Andre ter Stegen of the captaincy on Thursday as a feud escalated between the Germany goalkeeper and the club over his injury status amid the Catalans’ attempts to register new signings.
Barca signed 24-year-old goalkeeper Joan Garcia from local rivals Espanyol last month, with the club likely expecting to sell Ter Stegen, 33, to make space in their wage bill for Garcia and Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford.
However, Ter Stegen had to have more surgery to finish repairing a multiple knee ligament tear sustained last season, closing the door for him to leave in the close-season transfer window and forcing Barca to try a different approach.
The club asked Ter Stegen to sign a long-term medical leave that would allow them to clear 80 per cent of his wages until mid-season and comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules.
But Ter Stegen’s announcement on social media that he would be sidelined for only three months irked the club management as LaLiga rules require a player to remain out of action for at least four months to be considered a long-term injury.
“FC Barcelona announces that, following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, in agreement with the Sports Management and the technical staff, has decided to temporarily remove him as captain of the first team,” Barca said in a statement.
“During this period, the duties of first captain will be assumed by the current vice-captain, Ronald Araujo.”
The controversy highlights Barcelona’s financial struggles as they have battled to register new signings for several years running. The club are set to begin their LaLiga title defence on August 16 at Mallorca amid the continuing captaincy crisis.
