Just in – Barcelona take away captaincy from Marc-Andre ter Stegen | OneFootball

In a huge development, Catalunya Radio is reporting that Barcelona are stripping Marc-Andre ter Stegen of the club captaincy amid their ongoing standoff.

As per the report, manager Hansi Flick will remove Ter Stegen from the captaincy group at the request of the club.

Barcelona consider that with disciplinary proceedings open against him, the German goalkeeper can no longer form part of the team’s leadership.

This decision comes after Ter Stegen refused to authorise the club to submit his medical information to La Liga.

The 33-year-old veteran’s decision sparked great anger at the club, prompting them to open a disciplinary case against him.

Now, the La Liga champions have therefore decided to withdraw his captaincy, viewing the open disciplinary file as incompatible with holding a leadership role. The update has now been confirmed by Mundo Deportivo journalist Fernando Polo as well.

No longer captain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

This development comes even as Ter Stegen remains firm in his refusal to sign the medical report. There has been no direct talk between the player and the club as he has delegated all communication with the Catalans to his representative.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s legal department is working to identify a way to send the necessary medical information to La Liga without the player’s consent. The club’s aim is to obtain a long-term injury status in order to free up salary space for registering new players.

However, even if the Blaugrana do manage to send the documents, La Liga’s Medical Commission will not assess Ter Stegen’s case without his formal consent. The players’ union (AFE) has reached out to the goalkeeper to offer support during this situation.

Several Barcelona players had previously come out in support of Ter Stegen continuing as captain. So, it will certainly be interesting to see how the locker room reacts to this huge move by the club.