Ter Stegen breaks the silence and backtracks

The day after Barça made it official that he removed the captaincy from himMarc-André ter Stegen has broken his silence to give his version of events. The club justified the decision by accusing the goalkeeper, who has just undergone surgery, of hindering the possibility of finding a replacement. He denies this and now publicly says he is willing to sign the authorization so that his medical report can be reviewed by La Liga.

This was via a statement published in Catalan on social media. He admits that recent months have been "especially difficult" both physically and personally. But ter Stegen maintains that all medical decisions—including surgery—have been made "in mutual agreement with the club" and regrets the "unfounded speculation" about his commitment.

Ultimately, ter Stegen's move seeks to reduce tension, but above all, it is a defense against the disciplinary proceedings the club had opened against him. By expressing his "willingness to cooperate" and "providing the required authorization," he resolves the major conflict he had with Barça and the main point underlying a case that could result in a hypothetical sanction. Furthermore, he insists that he has never missed the deadlines established for his recovery.

In line with what the goalkeeper has already been saying through his entourage, he believes it's unfair to blame him for Barça's difficulties in registering Joan Garcia. The text makes it clear that when the club signed the Espanyol goalkeeper, or when it decided to renew Wojciech Szczesny's contract, it did so long before knowing he was experiencing discomfort or that he might need back surgery.

Ter Stegen's statement helps ease the tension, but in the short term it doesn't resolve the conflict with the club, which still believes it's best for the German goalkeeper to leave Barça. The fact that he signed the authorization to send the medical report to La Liga doesn't mean that this specialist committee agrees with him—he maintains that he could be recovered in three months, but Barça believes it will take at least four, allowing them to use part of his salary to increase their salary.

The statement was issued this Friday. On Thursday, Marc-André ter Stegen ceased to be Barça's first captain. At least temporarily, as the club confirmed in a statement, which specified that the measure is provisional "until the disciplinary file" it has open is resolved. In this way, Ronald Araujo has taken on the duties of first captain and, for example, will be in charge of speaking to the fans on Sunday at the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The decision was made by president Joan Laporta, sporting director Deco, and coach Hansi Flick, in a new chapter ofthe war between Barça and Ter Stegen:The club wants to find a way out for him, but the German is determined to stay. In fact, in the statement, he assures that the decision, in addition to being "consensual" with the club's medical services, is designed to achieve the best for his sporting health "in the long term" and maintains, at least in the text, his desire to remain part of Barça's first team for a long time.

"I understand that difficult times can generate tension, but I trust that through dialogue and responsibility we can resolve this situation constructively," says Ter Stegen, who currently has an open disciplinary file that has caused him to temporarily lose the captaincy. "Many things can change, but there is one that never will: I love you, Culés!" he concludes.