 "Explained: Barcelona’s dispute with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and why they’re mulling legal action")
Barcelona’s battle against goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could soon be fought in the courts after reports stated that the La Liga giants are mulling legal action against the German footballer. The dispute between Barcelona and the 33-year-old footballer stems from Ter Stegen’s refusal to sign a consent form for his medical data to be shared with La Liga.
Here’s the lowdown on the whole issue: Ter Stegen had undergone a lower back surgery on 29 July. Now, Barcelona feel that Ter Stegen will be out for at least the next four to five months. They were also looking to offload him in the market as they went ahead and signed Joan García from Espanyol to be their new No.1 goalkeeper and renewed the contract of Wojciech Szczesny.
Barcelona’s dispute with Ter Stegen explained
But Ter Stegen feels he will be back inside three months. He reportedly wants to continue fighting for the No.1 goalkeeper spot at Barcelona as he eyes the Germany goalkeeper position at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The major issue here is that Barcelona will be allowed to exclude him from the main squad only if they can prove to La Liga that Ter Stegen will not be available for at least four months. They will also be allowed to use at least 50 percent of their salary to register new players under La Liga’s injury provision and financial fair play regulations.
However, Ter Stegen has refused to sign the consent form for his medical data to be shared with La Liga. Without his consent, the data cannot be shared and Barcelona cannot prove that the goalkeeper will be unavailable for at least four months.
As per ESPN, Barcelona sporting director Deco tried to speak to Ter Stegen on Tuesday, but they could not locate him, while the goalkeeper sent a fax to the club stating that he doesn’t wish to sign the consent form.
A few media outlets in Spain have stated that Barcelona have opened disciplinary action against the footballer, but ESPN has refuted these claims. As per ESPN, Barcelona are mulling legal alternatives and they may also fine the player.
Barcelona is also not happy that Ter Stegen decided to undergo surgery in July when they were planning to sell him.
The club president, Joan Laporta, has recently said that the “most direct path” to register new signings García and Marcus Rashford was to do it through La Liga’s emergency injury rule. But they will only be able to use it if they can prove Ter Stegen’s unavailability.
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