Barcelona official announcement: Ter Stegen has been temporarily removed from his captain position

Barcelona Club officially announced today that goalkeeper Marc Andre Terstegen is currently undergoing a disciplinary investigation, the club decided to temporarily remove its first team captain after full consultation with the sports management and coaching staff.

This decision originated from Ter Stegen's refusal to sign relevant authorization documents, which made the club unable to submit its medical reports to the La Liga medical committee. The committee needs to evaluate the time he needs to recover from a second back surgery based on the report to determine whether he meets the "long-term injury" criteria. If this standard is not met, it will directly affect the registration qualification of another goalkeeper of the team, Joao Garcia.

In an official statement, Barcelona emphasized that this decision is a "temporary measure" and will continue until the relevant procedures are fully resolved. The club made it clear that the decision was not made by a single person, but the result was discussed with the sports management team led by sports director Deco and head coach Frick.

During this period, the duties of the first team captain will be taken over by former second team leader, Uruguayan central defender Ronald Araujo.

Why choose to make a decision at this time?

Barcelona management is clear that today is the deadline for making a decision. The highly-watched Gambel Cup will be held this Sunday (21:00 local time). As usual, the head coach and team captain before the game must deliver speeches to fans on behalf of the entire team. In the current sensitive period when Ter Stegen is openly opposed to the club and the disciplinary process has not yet ended, it is obviously inappropriate to speak on stage as a team representative.

Club believes that a player whose actions have been deemed to be seriously damaged by the interests of the club and may even endanger the registration qualifications of teammates should not continue to serve as a captain who symbolizes honor and responsibility.

Telstegen's position

At present, the German country still adheres to its original position and refuses to provide medical information authorization. He firmly believes that his recovery cycle is about three months, or even shorter—as he previously stated publicly, he should not be considered a "long-term injury." As for the player registration issues caused by this, he believes that this is an internal management matter of the club and he should not bear the consequences personally.

As of now, the two sides are still in a stalemate on this issue. When Ter Stegen can resume his captainship position will depend on the results of subsequent medical assessments and the final conclusion of the disciplinary review process.