The situation surrounding Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Barcelona’s attempt to unlock salary space under La Liga’s financial regulations by capitalising on his injury is far from straightforward.
The primary objective is to have the goalkeeper officially diagnosed with a long-term injury (defined as four months or more), following which it has been suggested that the club can use 80% of the German’s salary space to register a new player in his place.
Complications for Barcelona
However, according to ASthe amount freed for Barcelona to register a new player will be lower than the 80% salary of Ter Stegen.
Moreover, if Ter Stegen returns earlier than the declared timeframe, the Catalans could face a severe penaltyfurther straining an already stretched salary cap.
The first and most critical step is for La Liga to accept that Ter Stegen’s injury qualifies as long-term. The Catalans now have 25 calendar days to submit the necessary medical documentation to the league.
A medical commission made up of multiple independent experts will evaluate the claim. For LaLiga to approve the request, the three participating doctors must unanimously agree that the injury meets the long-term criteria.
Should this hurdle be cleared, Barcelona will gain some salary cap relief – though not the full 80%. That only applies if the injury is officially deemed to last more than five months.
Furthermore, because the injury occurred while the summer transfer window is open, the salary cap margin that is released is reduced to 50%.
If La Liga approves the request, Barcelona will have 20 calendar days to use the freed salary cap to register a replacement. However, another restriction applies: only a goalkeeper can be registered in Ter Stegen’s place.
If the injured player were an outfield player, the freed space could be used for any other position. If Joan Garcia is registered under this provision, he would be eligible for the full season.
Possible sanctions
A major concern is whether Barcelona might be pushing the boundaries of the rules to gain more financial flexibility. La Liga’s economic regulations explicitly cover such scenarios.
If the injured player returns to training or matches before completing the full duration of the registered injury (whether four or five months), the club will be sanctioned.
The penalty is harsh: the club’s salary cap will be reduced by triple the amount they initially gained. Such a sanction would severely complicate Barcelona’s financial recovery and make future player registrations even more difficult.
