Barcelona Takes Disciplinary Actions against Ter Stegen Over Unsigned Medical Report

Barcelona football club has initiated disciplinary proceedings against their goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for his refusal to sign a medical report pertaining to his back injury. The disagreement arose over the recovery period post his back surgery, which the club and the player claim differently. Barcelona needed this signed report to present to the Spanish league to comply with financial fair play rules and free up some salary-cap space.

The informant did not disclose their identity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Ter Stegen estimated a three-month recovery period for his surgery, while the club did not release an official timeframe, stating that his return would depend on his recovery. The longer the recovery period, the larger the percentage of Ter Stegen’s salary Barcelona could exclude from its cap, enabling room for other player registrations.

Before the incident, the club had signed Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García, their other keepers being veteran Wojciech Szczęsny and Iñaki Peña. The league must assess the report to approve the official recovery time. Ter Stegen, one of the team’s captains, has not yet commented publicly on the disciplinary proceedings.

The 33-year-old German goalie was out for nearly all of the previous season due to a knee tendon rupture, and in 2023, a back operation sidelined him for about two months. The kind of sanction Ter Stegen might face for not signing the document hasn’t been clarified. The Spanish league’s current champion, Barcelona, is back in Spain after its preseason tour in Asia.