Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been restored to his captaincy role at Barcelona after a brief period of uncertainty. The German goalkeeper's reinstatement follows the resolution of a dispute concerning the authorization of his medical report being shared with LaLiga.
Earlier in the week, Ter Stegen had been temporarily relieved of his captaincy duties due to what the club termed "disciplinary proceedings." This action raised eyebrows, and Ronald Araujo was initially expected to take over the captain's armband in Ter Stegen's absence.
However, the situation was quickly addressed. Barcelona issued a statement confirming that Ter Stegen had provided the necessary authorization for his medical information to be released to La Liga. "The club announces that the player Marc-Andre ter Stegen has signed the authorization necessary for the club to send La Liga the medical report relating to his surgery," the statement read.
With the authorization granted, Barcelona officially closed the disciplinary case. "The disciplinary case has been closed and the player is captain of the first team once again with immediate effect," the club confirmed.
The dispute stemmed from Ter Stegen's initial reluctance to share his medical data with LaLiga, a move that would have potentially facilitated Barcelona's ability to register new players ahead of the new season. Sharing the data would have also allowed Barcelona to potentially free up a significant portion (at least 50%) of Ter Stegen's salary for registration purposes, under LaLiga's injury provision, which applies to players sidelined for at least four months.
Ter Stegen issued a statement expressing his willingness to cooperate with the club. "In recent weeks, many things have been said about me, some of them entirely unfounded. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to express my version of events respectfully, yet clearly," he wrote.
He also clarified that all signings and contract renewals were completed prior to his surgery, emphasizing his commitment to his teammates. "I would also like to clarify that all of the club’s signings and contract renewals were completed prior to my surgery. Therefore, at no point could I consider that my unfortunate circumstances with the new surgery I had to undergo would be necessary for the registration of other colleagues whom I greatly respect and look forward to share locker room with for many seasons."
As a result of the situation Barcelona had already signed Joan Garcia from Espanyol and renewed the contract of veteran Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona is now focused on finalizing their squad registration before their LaLiga title defense begins against Mallorca. They still need to register five players before the start of the season.
