Barcelona have opened disciplinary proceedings against Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has reportedly declined to authorize the club to share the details of his recent lower back surgery and recovery timeline with La Liga's medical commission. This has effectively stalled Barcelona's efforts to classify his injury as long-term, which would have allowed them to temporarily offload 80 per cent of his salary from their wage bill and register a new player.
Barcelona & Ter Stegen are at loggerheadsGoalkeeper will not sign his medical reportClub initiate disciplinary actionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to Barcelona had intended to register Joan Garcia as a short-term replacement for Ter Stegen under La Liga’s injury exception rule. However, without formal medical documentation submitted and approved, the club cannot proceed with his registration. This has put Garcia’s immediate future in limbo, a situation the club feels could have been avoided had Ter Stegen granted permission to share the necessary documents.
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With the situation now reaching a stalemate, Barcelona have turned the matter over to its legal department. Club lawyers are currently assessing whether disciplinary measures can be taken against Ter Stegen for what is viewed internally as non-cooperation that could be detrimental to the team. If legal advisors give the green light, formal disciplinary proceedings will be launched. These could potentially result in sanctions, but any action would still require final approval from the board of directors.
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From a legal standpoint, Ter Stegen is within his rights to withhold personal medical information from sharing with third parties, even governing bodies. However, Barcelona argue that the player’s refusal is in conflict with his contractual obligations, which include facilitating registration processes in extraordinary injury cases.
Barca encountered similar scenarios in the recent past, most notably with Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo. In both instances, the injured players provided consent for the club to submit their medical documentation to La Liga. This allowed the club to register Dani Olmo and Inigo Martínez as temporary replacements successfully.
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The Mundo Deportivo report further revealed that the club attempted to arrange a face-to-face conversation with Ter Stegen to clarify their intentions and discuss the financial and sporting benefits of submitting the injury report. However, the Germany international is said to have responded firmly, stating he had no interest in signing the document. This has only escalated tensions between the two parties, who are now clearly at odds over what the club views as a matter of both internal harmony and fiscal necessity.