Why does Barcelona want to temporarily strip Marc-André ter Stegen of the captaincy?
Barcelona believes that Ter Stegen’s refusal to sign the medical documents the club intends to submit to La Liga is an attempt to harm the club’s interests.
Ter Stegen’s close associates deny this. They state that the reason Ter Stegen is unwilling to sign is that they believe his injury is not a long-term issue.
Barcelona sources say they are confused by the escalation of the situation after Ter Stegen posted on social media on July 24th, claiming he would return in three months. Club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco were particularly angered by this post, which Ter Stegen published before his surgery, as the club had no prior knowledge of it.
As a result, some board members even advocated stripping him of the captaincy because of this.
Before the start of each season, players vote to select the team’s captains. The voting results are ranked by seniority, with four captains selected in total. However, this year, Barcelona removed Ter Stegen from the captaincy before the dressing room could make its decision, as they no longer consider him a suitable candidate.
Barcelona sources claim they are convinced that Ter Stegen has decided to take a stance on the injury issue to defend himself and the legitimacy of his current contract. They view his decision not to sign as selfish, having harmed the prospects of his teammates in the dressing room.
Therefore, they have decided to take action, and the club’s legal department is currently evaluating a request to file disciplinary proceedings.
What is Ter Stegen’s perspective on this?
Ter Stegen’s camp confirmed to The Athletic that he has refused to sign an agreement consenting to the submission of his surgical report to La Liga. The 33-year-old player has the right to do so and has the support of the Spanish Footballers' Association.
Close associates of the goalkeeper say they believe Ter Stegen submitting medical documents to La Liga would effectively amount to agreeing to classify his injury as a long-term issue, which they argue is not the case.
They emphasize that Ter Stegen is eager to recover from his back injury as soon as possible and compete for Barcelona’s No.1 goalkeeper spot.
Ter Stegen believes he has plenty of reasons to be angry with Barcelona, dating back to before the signing boycott incident (even before Joan García’s arrival). This includes Barcelona’s attempts to discredit his status as captain and align with fans through a series of articles published in local media.
These articles are seen as Barcelona’s deliberate attempt to create an atmosphere where, following García’s signing, Ter Stegen is considered expendable, thereby putting pressure on him to leave.
However, Barcelona board sources say that after the start of pre-season on July 13th, the club believes Ter Stegen is likely to stay this summer, with the possibility of a transfer ruled out.
Ter Stegen has three years left on his current contract with Barcelona, signed two years ago during Laporta’s tenure, and he is determined to stay.
García is set to take over as Barcelona's goalkeeper at the start of the season—pending the successful completion of his registration—and Ter Stegen is confident he will eventually regain his spot. A source close to him notes that many other players have gone through similar situations and gradually become key figures in the team.
Finally, and most importantly, Ter Stegen believes that Barcelona’s registration issues should not be blamed on him.
