Football: Barcelona-Ter Stegen rift deepens amid medical report controversy

Madrid (Spain), Aug 5 (IANS) The relationship between FC Barcelona and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen continues to worsen, with the club opening disciplinary proceedings against the goalkeeper. Barca have started the move after Ter Stegen reportedly refused to sign a medical report that the club was going to send to La Liga's Medical Commission over the 33-year-old's back injury.

Ter Stegen had an operation on his back last week, with the goalkeeper posting on social media that he expected to be out of action for around three months. However, Barcelona's medical report estimates he will be sidelined for five months.

The difference is vital to Barcelona, because if La Liga accepts, Ter Stegen will be out of action for over four months, the club would be able to drop him from its first-team squad and use 80 percent of his salary to register new players under La Liga's financial fair play rules.

Currently, Barcelona are unable to register new signings Joan Garcia, Roony Bardghji, and Marcus Rashford in their squad. Wojciech Szczesny and Gerard Martin are also unregistered following new contracts, with Martin promoted from the B-team.

With other avenues of income still to supply the necessary funds, Barcelona need the money from Ter Stegen's salary to register at least some of the five before their La Liga opener against Mallorca on August 16. However, for the moment, Ter Stegen is unwilling to back down, knowing that if he does so, he has no chance of playing until January, even if he is fit at the end of October.

The problem for Barcelona is even worse, given that Ter Stegen and Inaki Pena are currently Barca's only two registered goalkeepers, with Pena not part of coach Hansi Flick's plans. That makes it more vital than ever that the club finds some way of registering Garcia and Szczesny, but the pressure on a goalkeeper who has played 422 times for the club is creating a conflict that shows no signs of ending.

--IANS

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