Barcelona on Thursday said they had stripped Marc-Andre ter Stegen of the captain’s armband in a continuing dispute over the German goalkeeper’s fitness status.
“As a consequence of the disciplinary proceedings initiated against player Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and until such proceedings are definitively resolved, the club… has decided to temporarily remove him as captain of the first football team,” Barca said in a statement.
They said vice-captain Ronald Araujo, a Uruguayan defender, would take over.
According to local media, the dispute centres on 33-year-old Ter Stegen’s refusal to cooperate with an attempt to have him classified by La Liga as a long-term injury case, which would allow the club to deduct part of his pay from their official wage bill.
With the new Liga season approaching, Barcelona are again struggling to satisfy Spanish financial fair play rules. If they cannot, they may not be able to register new players.
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The club plans to partly reopen its expensively renovated Camp Nou stadium this month.
After two seasons marred by injury, Ter Stegen decided to undergo back surgery at the end of July.
He has refused to sign a form releasing his medical data to La Liga, preventing Barcelona’s attempt to have him officially declared a long-term absentee.
His place is under threat from one of the summer signings, 24-year-old Joan Garcia, and 35-year-old Wojciech Szczesny, the Polish veteran who has been rewarded with a contract extension for taking over during last season’s Liga title-winning campaign.
The German goalkeeper, the last remaining member of Luis Enrique’s 2015 European champion team, faces heavy penalties under La Liga regulations, including the termination of his contract.
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