Barcelona planning ‘good cop, bad cop’ approach with Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Barcelona President Joan Laporta arrived back in the Catalan capital on Tuesday morning to bad news. It has emerged that captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen does not intend to sign off on his medical report from his surgery going to La Liga, potentially preventing them activating the injury rule.

That would allow them to use 50% of the salary space taken by ter Stegen to register a replacement, namely Joan Garcia. Laporta has noted that while Garcia’s registration does not hinge on ter Stegen’s signature, it is the easiest way for Barcelona to get it over the line.

Ter Stegen’s intentions became clear to Barcelona before they arrived back in the Catalan capital, who was due to meet with Director of Football Deco and discuss the matter. MD say that Deco intends to keep that meeting with ter Stegen, and they hope to persuade him to reconsider. However they have noted that that possibility is looking increasingly remote. They feel that ter Stegen is acting in bad faith.

Despite the above, Barcelona had instructed their legal department to explore sanctions for ter Stegen for damaging the institution. The Catalan paper claim that they could look to suspend ter Stegen for 30 days without salary, as well as hitting him with a fine, due to a section in the La Liga-Spanish Player’s Association (AFE) agreement. Players can face sanctions for serious offences in cases of disobedience, and the penalty could face a fine of up to €340k.

As the conflict between ter Stegen and Barcelona grows, ter Stegen is reportedly in constant contact with the AFE in order to ensure his rights and responsibilities are being protected. The same outlet also explain that his gripes with Barcelona go beyond trying to oust him as their number one and leaking stories about his character to the media. By not using him in Barcelona’s final game of the season with nothing on the line, ter Stegen reportedly missed out on a bonus of €3.5m.

Lawyer Cristian Zarroca has remarked to SER Catalunya that Barcelona’s potential disciplinary action is likely a way to put pressure on ter Stegen than a realistic threat. Regarding the injury registration rule, ter Stegen can defend his right to privacy over his medical report under the data protection act, but there are exceptions. Zarroca notes that they could say ter Stegen’s medical report is legally relevant as it impacts his capacity to work, but that both stances have legal grounding, although Barcelona believe they have a case.