MADRID (AP) – Barcelona has launched disciplinary procedures against Mark Andreterstegen. The goalkeeper said he refused to sign a medical report on his back injury.
Those who spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday did not want to be named as they were not allowed to publicly talk about it.
The club required Ter Stegen to sign reports, cleared the pay cap space and allowed them to send to the Spanish league to register other players more easily without violating the Financial Fair Play rules.
However, the club and goalkeeper are in conflict over recovery times for surgery performed last week, in order to deal with repeated low back illnesses.
Ter Stegen said the recovery time would be about three months prior to the surgery. The club did not provide an official timetable for the recovery process. The operation was “successful” And “his recovery will determine when he can return.”
Depending on the length of the recovery process, Barcelona was able to clear Ter Stegen’s salary percentage from the cap, giving more room to add other players to their team.
club Signed Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García in June. Other goalkeepers are veterans Wojciech Szczęsny and Iñaki Peña.
The league must evaluate the report before approving the formal recovery time.
Ter Stegen, one of the team’s captains, did not immediately speak publicly after Barcelona said they had opened disciplinary proceedings. He and the club were expected to meet to discuss the situation in the coming days.
The 33-year-old German goalkeeper missed almost everything from last season due to a ruptured knee tendon, and in 2023 he missed about two months for another back operation. Pena and 35-year-old szczęsny started replacing Ter Stegen during a knee injury.
It was not clear what sanctions were facing when Ter Stegen fails to sign the report.
Defending Spanish league champion Barcelona returned to Spain on Tuesday after completing a preseason tour in Asia.
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