The standoff between FC Barcelona and Ter Stegen entered a new chapter on Thursday. The club believes that since disciplinary proceedings have been opened due to the player’s refusal to sign the medical report to be sent to LaLiga, the appropriate course of action is to strip the German goalkeeper of the captaincy, at least for the season. This was announced in a brief statement, and Ronal Araújo will assume the duties of first captain with immediate effect.
Barcelona strips Ter Stegen of captaincy
FC Barcelona issued an official statement on Thursday confirming that it has decided to “temporarily” strip Ter Stegen of the captaincy following his refusal to sign the permission for the club to send his medical report to LaLiga. In the brief statement, the club said that the decision had been taken in agreement with the coaching staff. “FC Barcelona announces that, as a result of the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-André ter Stegen, and until this procedure has been definitively resolved, the Club, in agreement with the Sports Management and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw the captaincy of the first team,” the statement said.
A season-long withdrawal: the reasons
As the statement informs, the withdrawal of the captain’s armband is, a priori, temporary. This is a temporary measure as the proceedings that have been opened are an investigation and are therefore ongoing, and to withdraw the captaincy completely would be to assume that Ter Stegen is guilty when the goalkeeper can still present arguments against this decision by the club. As it is an open process, it could end in a sanction or dismissal. Hence, the captaincy is being temporarily withdrawn pending the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings.
Araújo takes on the role of first captain
In FC Barcelona’s own statement, the club has already announced that Ronald Araújo will take over the duties of first captain. “During this period, the duties of first captain will be assumed by the current second captain, Ronald Araujo,” the club said in the statement. The center back has already worn the armband on multiple occasions and now, at the start of the season, he will have to be the leader of a dressing room that has rallied around the German in recent days, praising him amid the conflict.
A war that never ends
Ter Stegen and Barcelona seem to be locked in a war that has no end. From his return from injury and the less than expected welcome he received, losing €3.5 million in the process, to the signing of Joan García and Ter Stegen’s refusal to leave, the conflict has now reached a boiling point with the goalkeeper’s injury layoff after undergoing back surgery. In a statement, the goalkeeper said that the club considers that three months is too long and Marc-André refuses to sign the medical report to be sent to LaLiga for validation so that the club can release part of the player’s salary, which would help them register Joan García.
The player feels mistreated by the club and relations have reached a point of total deterioration. In the last few hours, he has been stripped of the captaincy, at least while the disciplinary proceedings are ongoing, and the German goalkeeper has also made it clear that under no circumstances will he tolerate any club doctor entering his home to assess his state of health. This is open warfare, with more chapters to follow in the coming days.