5 August 2025
Barcelona is experiencing a new legal crisis, this time involving German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, after he refused to cooperate with the club's management on a sensitive matter related to the registration of new players before the start of the new season. According to reports, Ter Stegen refused to sign an official document authorizing the club to send his medical report following his recent surgery to the La Liga Medical Committee.
This report is necessary for Barcelona to benefit from the "long-term injury" clause, which allows 80% of an injured player's salary to be used in Financial Fair Play calculations to register a replacement—in this case, young goalkeeper Juan Garcia.
Ter Stegen's decision, although based on his right to protect his personal medical data, prompted Barcelona's management to refer the case to the club's legal team, in preparation for opening disciplinary proceedings against the player. The club considers his actions to be detrimental to the interests of the team and his teammates, and to be an obstacle to Garcia's registration.
Spanish media noted that this incident is unprecedented in Barcelona's history, as a player has never refused to cooperate in such situations.
The club has previously dealt with similar cases—such as Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo—and was able to register new players after La Liga's medical committee approved them based on their injury reports.
The crisis deepened after Ter Stegen announced on his official accounts that he would be out for only three months, while Barcelona's medical staff believed his absence could last up to five months.
This discrepancy complicates the possibility of using his salary to register new players and raises questions about the goalkeeper's intentions.
Barcelona's management believes that Ter Stegen has been acting unilaterally since the beginning of the crisis, starting with his decision to undergo surgery without consulting the club, and ending with his public announcement of the details of his injury and the timing of his return without internal coordination.
While Ter Stegen maintains his legal rights, the management believes he has contractual obligations that require him to cooperate with the club, particularly on issues related to financial and organizational balance.
If it is proven that his actions caused direct harm, the guard may face disciplinary or internal legal action.
