MADRID — Barcelona has temporarily stripped goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen of the captaincy over his refusal to sign a medical report about his back injury.

The club said Thursday that central defender Ronald Araujo will act as first-team captain until further notice.

“Following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-André ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the sporting direction and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain,” Barcelona said in a statement.

The club had opened a disciplinary proceeding against the goalkeeper on Tuesday after discrepancies about the recovery time for the lower back surgery that Ter Stegen successfully underwent last week.

Barcelona

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