A legendary Spanish goalkeeper has taken aim at Marc-Andre ter Stegen after he was shockingly stripped of the Barcelona captaincy.
The Catalan outfit announced on Thursday that they have removed the armband from the German and opened disciplinary proceedings following a stunning medical dispute.
It comes after the 33-year-old was reportedly unwilling to sign a consent form permitting the club to sign him off as a long-term injury in order to exclude him from their salary registration.
Ter Stegen returned to fitness at the end of last season after rupturing his patella tendon but was forced to undergo surgery on his lower back last month.
Barca brought in 24-year-old goalkeeper Joan Garcia from local rivals Espanyol in July and had hopes of offloading the veteran this summer. However, his rehabilitation and desire to stay, has ended the possibility of that happening this summer.
The club instead took a different approach to make room in their wage bill for Garcia and Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, whose £315,000-a-week salary is being covered by the Catalan side.
Signing of a long-term medical leave would have allowed Barca to clear 80 per cent of his wages until mid-season and comply with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules. But Ter Stegen’s recent announcement on social media that he would be sidelined for three months – a month shorter than the absence required to be considered a long-term injury – has reportedly angered club management.
And former Spain, Real Madrid and Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares has slammed Ter Stegen’s behaviour.
‘A captain represents the players in a match and at the negotiating table when it comes to bonuses or a dispute, he told El Partidazo de COPE. He can’t be lazy, create a bad atmosphere, or be selfish.
‘He has to be an example. He has to encourage everyone to commit and perform well, to be a team player, to have a good vibe and to try to resolve conflicts.
‘But, if you create conflict. If you have an open war with the club, it makes no sense for that player to be captain. The captain would now be there to resolve Ter Stegen’s conflict.’
‘When he hasn’t played, his behaviour has left a lot to be desired. But like many Germans, they have that behaviour. They have to be starters. We goalkeepers are guilty of being selfish because if we don’t start, we don’t play all year.’
In a statement on Thursday, the club said: ‘FC Barcelona hereby announces that, following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the Sporting Direction and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain.
‘During this period, the duties of first captain will be assumed by the current vice-captain, Ronald Araujo.’
