FC Barcelona revoke Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's captaincy ban: What had exactly happened?

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has been reinstated as Barcelona's captain. (Image credits - FMT, License Details)

FC Barcelona had removed veteran goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen as the club captain after the German international refused to provide the club with the medical reports of his back surgery, leading to major drama.

The club president Joan Laporta was reportedly furious with Ter Stegen, with the Barca management even threatening to take the German to court and terminate his contract on grounds of unsportsmanlike behavior and the intent to sabotage the club's activities.

However, Barcelona on Friday announced their decision to reinstate the 33-year-old goalkeeper as the club's captain, after he agreed to send his medical report to the La Liga champions.

In an official statement, Barcelona stated, "The club announces that the player Marc-André Ter Stegen has signed the authorisation necessary for the club to send La Liga the medical report relating to his surgery." (sic)

The statement further read, "The disciplinary case has been closed, and the player is captain of the first team once again with immediate effect." (sic)

Both Ter Stegen and Barça have mutually solved the dispute, with the German even clarifying the entire situation in an official captain's speech yesterday.

“Fighting like a couple!”: FC Barcelona and Ter Stegen could be heading towards an ugly separation after ten years of commitment together

Although FC Barcelona have reinstated Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as the club captain, his presence in the dressing room has been affected considerably in the past few months, as a result of which the German international could find himself being sidelined even after regaining full fitness.

As reported by ESPN, the whole fiasco began when Ter Stegen decided to undergo major back surgery while also refusing to sign a consent form for his medical data to be shared with La Liga, which made the Barcelona management extremely unhappy. The club had even considered taking legal action against the German shot-stopper, as we reported earlier.

As per the official La Liga rules and regulations, Barça could've saved 50% of the player’s wages freed up as if a player were sidelined for at least four months, which is what the Catalan giants were planning on doing in order to register their new signing, Joan Garcia.

However, Ter Stegen had announced that he would be back within three months, which is why he refused Barcelona's demands and unleashed this major chaos.

As a result, the La Liga champions had had to sacrifice and sell Inigo Martinez to Al Nassr in order to free up wages and gather enough funds to register the new signings with La Liga.

Inigo's selfless act earned him a lot of love and support from the fans, who became even more infuriated with Ter Stegen, blaming him for keeping his own interests above the club's needs, which led to the Catalan giants even losing out on their veteran defender.