Everything seems to be going well at FC Barcelona in recent weeks, with a rather serene climate and a particularly active sports leadership on the transfer market. The Blaugrana club struck a blow by obtaining the signature of Marcus Rashford, an arrival of prestige which energizes the Catalan attack and marks a clear desire to strengthen the workforce. This is the third summer recruit, after the arrivals of the nugget Roony Bardghji but especially of the goalkeeper Joan García, from the Espanyol. However, this last operation had an unexpected domino effect: it has rekindled certain internal tensions, notably on the side of Marc-André Ter Stegen. Distant from the field since his operation and in full recovery, the German would have badly experienced this perceived arrival as a possible questioning of his status. The potential loss of the captain's armband and a symbolic relegation to the role of second goalkeeper would feed a form of growing frustration in the German international. Catalan management would even suspect Marc-André Ter Stegen of having exaggerated the duration of his unavailability to delay his club to register Joan Garcia.
Ele FC Barcelona has already launched the necessary procedures to activate the mechanism provided by Laliga for long-term injuries, in order to release a place in the workforce and allow Marc-André Ter Stegen to receive 80 % of his salary via insurance. As the daily reports ASa preliminary report was written immediately after the German goalkeeper's operation in Bordeaux by the specialist Amélie Leglise, who attests to unavailability of four months. This duration, greater than the minimum required of 4 months, is in the file for the Laliga Medical Commission. This document, once validated, would allow the Barça to register a temporary replacement without contravening the strict salary rules imposed by Spanish financial fair play. Internally, some even evoke a deep discomfort, nourished by the fear of a progressive downgrading, at the very moment when Barça begins a new cycle with ambition on the transfer window.
Barça will summon its doctors!
However, as also points out ASthe required medical file is particularly detailed. It is not only a question of producing an operating report: FC Barcelona must include all convalescence directives, imagery medical examinations (MRI, X-rays), as well as recordings of the surgical intervention itself. The player's medical history related to this injury, as well as the post-operative assessments of the surgeon who carried out the operation, must also appear in the file. It is important to note that the personal communication of Ter Stegen, which had initially announced an absence of three months on its social networks, has no legal value within the framework of this procedure.
The Catalan club officially has 30 days to hand over this documentation to Laliga, but said that Barça wishes to finalize and transmit everything by next week. Once the file is complete, the Laliga medical expert committee will have to rule. In principle, four doctors make up this committee, but as the Spanish daily indicates, Dr. Jordi Ardèvol, a former Barça medical official, will not take part in the evaluation to avoid any conflict of interest – a measure already applied during the Andreas Christensen case in 2023. The committee's verdict will determine if the club can register a medically justified replacement for the duration of the unavailability of the German guardian. The standoff between Marc-André Ter Stegen and the Blaugrana is far from over.
