Barca to register Garcia after league confirms Ter Stegen's lengthy absence

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona will be able to register newly signed goalkeeper Joan Garcia for the new season after the Spanish league confirmed a long-term injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the club said Wednesday.

With the ruling, Barcelona is allowed to clear some salary-cap space and more easily register other players without breaching financial fair play rules.

"Barcelona hereby announces that La Liga's Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen's injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations," it said. "The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately formalize the registration of player Joan Garcia."

The length of the injury had sparked a dispute between Barcelona and Ter Stegen, who initially refused to sign the medical report that the Catalan club had to send to the league.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper said it would take about three months for him to recover from lower back surgery last month. The club, however, said it would take longer and wanted to add him to the long-term injury list.

After Ter Stegen refused to sign, the club opened a disciplinary proceeding and stripped him of his captaincy. It reinstated him after he signed the report last week.

Ter Stegen said after signing the report that he never intended to make it difficult for Barcelona to sign new players, and only wanted to be able to return to action as soon as possible. He said "these past few months have been especially difficult for me, both physically and personally."

Ter Stegen missed nearly all of last season because of a knee injury, and in 2023 he missed about two months because of another back operation. Inaki Pena and veteran Wojciech Szczesny started in place of Ter Stegen last season.

The club signed Espanyol goalkeeper Garcia in June.

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