Catalan football club, FC Barcelona, commences disciplinary actions against a certain individual.
In a recent turn of events, FC Barcelona has closed the disciplinary file against goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. This decision comes after the German international's refusal to sign a consent form allowing the sharing of his medical data with LaLiga [1].
The closure of the disciplinary case marks ter Stegen's immediate return as the captain of the first team, effective from August 8, 2025 [2]. The initial refusal to cooperate on medical data sharing had raised uncertainty regarding Barcelona's compliance with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play regulations, particularly in relation to the emergency injury rule.
Under this rule, if a player is sidelined for at least four months, Barcelona could potentially free up at least 50% of Ter Stegen's salary for registration purposes [1]. However, without ter Stegen's consent to share his medical records, the club was initially blocked from applying this injury provision, complicating their salary cap and registration flexibility.
It is unclear whether Barcelona will now proceed with utilizing the injury rule for Financial Fair Play relief, as explicit confirmation of this is not detailed in the available information. The club's earlier legal considerations primarily stemmed from the need for ter Stegen's consent to disclose his confidential medical data.
Interestingly, there seems to be a potential similarity between ter Stegen's case and the recent case of another Barcelona player, Olmo. Both cases involve the confidentiality and consent of the players' medical data [3].
Barcelona is currently facing financial struggles, and high-profile clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United, FC Chelsea, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus Turin, Galatasaray Istanbul, and AS Monaco were reportedly interested in Ter Stegen before his operation [4].
Ter Stegen's contract with Barcelona extends until 2028 [5]. The latest update on his recovery time is that Barcelona estimates a recovery time of four months or more [1]. Despite the setback, the club remains optimistic about his return to full fitness.
References: 1. Source 1 2. Source 2 3. Source 3 4. Source 4 5. Source 5
Ter Stegen's immediate return as the captain of the first team, effective from August 8, 2025, signals his readiness to continue his role in sports, specifically football. The uncertainty regarding Barcelona's compliance with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play regulations due to Ter Stegen's initial refusal to cooperate on medical data sharing may have stemmed from potential applications of the emergency injury rule in football.
