Barcelona stripped Marc-André ter Stegen of the captaincy on Thursday as a feud escalated between the Germany goalkeeper and the club over his injury status amid attempts to register signings.
The defending La Liga champions signed the 24-year-old goalkeeper Joan García from cross-city rivals Espanyol last month, with the club probably expecting to sell Ter Stegen, 33, to make space in their wage bill for García and the Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford.
However, Ter Stegen needed more surgery to finish repairing a multiple knee ligament tear sustained last season, stopping him from leaving in the summer transfer window and forcing Barcelona to try a different approach.
The club asked Ter Stegen to sign a long-term medical leave that would allow them to clear 80% of his wages until mid-season, and comply with La Liga’s financial fair play rules. But Ter Stegen’s announcement on social media that he would be sidelined for three months irked the management because the competition 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-André 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,” a statement said. “During this period, the duties of first-team captain will be assumed by the current vice-captain, Ronald Araújo.”
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The controversy highlights Barcelona’s financial struggles as they have battled to register signings for several years running. The club begin their La Liga title defence on 16 August at Mallorca.