Marc-Andre ter Stegen faces disciplinary proceedings from Barcelona after refusing to sign injury report

The Catalan club hopes to register new signings in Ter Stegen’s absence.

When it comes to managing Marc-André ter Stegen’s (33) injury, FC Barcelona are in a predicament never seen before.

The German goalie has reportedly refused to sign the consent form that would enable the club to forward his surgical and medical reports to LaLiga’s Medical Committee, which is in charge of determining the extent of injuries.

This has effectively stalled FCB’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 signing.

In response, the club has now chosen to send the case to its legal department in order to start disciplinary action, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Ter Stegen rejects Barca’s documents to send his medical report

The player may face internal consequences if the board and the club’s legal advisors agree that it is justified. The club will suffer immediate repercussions as a result of Ter Stegen’s reluctance to sign the medical report.

Depending on how serious the injury is, Barça could claim 80% of his income as financial fair play if it is determined that recovery will require five months or longer. New signing Joan Garcia’s registration would thus be made easier as a result.

Last summer, a similar circumstance happened when Barça was authorised to sign Dani Olmo after LaLiga’s medical committee verified that Andreas Christensen had an injury that would likely keep him out for more than four months.

The club is not allowed to submit the report without Ter Stegen’s prior and required consent. Since a player’s medical records are confidential, sharing them requires express permission.

The club has previously registered new signings when other players suffered injuries

No Barça player has yet declined to divulge such information in a comparable situation. The club has handled similar scenarios with serious injuries to Christensen and Ronald Araujo in the past, which allowed Dani Olmo and Iñigo Martínez to register after being verified by LaLiga.

The report also states that FC Barcelona planned to meet with Ter Stegen in person once he returned from the preseason tour to discuss his injuries and the procedures required by LaLiga to utilise part of his pay that is eligible under Financial Fair Play.

He firmly stated that he did not want to sign the document when the club sent him a notice asking for a meeting.

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