For years, Barcelona has been struggling with financial problems, using its global popularity to find ways to secure large amounts of money from sponsors and maintain the team’s competitiveness for major trophies. Sponsorship deals with Nike and leasing VIP boxes to Arab investors are just some of the ways Barca has managed to generate hundreds of millions of euros in the past two years. However, the club cannot seem to escape administrative issues. If financial fair play is not the main concern, then it is the inability to register all available players. After the complications surrounding Dani Olmo in January, Barcelona is now facing a new problem.Hero 2: Not too bad for a chain smoker and a retired keeperMarc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a severe injury (patellar tendon rupture) on September 23 last year in a match against Villarreal. It was soon revealed that he would be out for an extended period, leading Barcelona to sign Wojciech Szczesny as a free agent in October. The Polish goalkeeper came out of retirement to prevent Barca from being left with only Inaki Pena as an option in goal. Not only has Szczesny adequately replaced Ter Stegen, but the 35-year-old has been performing above expectations for months. Medical reports suggest that Ter Stegen will be ready to return in time for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Dortmund in three weeks, but that does not necessarily mean he will be eligible to play. What’s the issue? Last fall, Barcelona registered Ter Stegen based on the right to replace a long-term injured player. However, according to the same rules, if the injured player recovers during the season while the club is still competing, he can be re-registered, but this automatically nullifies the registration of the player who replaced him. This means that Hansi Flick will potentially face a tough dilemma in choosing between Ter Stegen and Szczesny.Bad news for Barca: Casado’s season is overThe former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper has done an excellent job for five months, and it would seem unfair not to give him a chance when it matters most. On the other hand, Ter Stegen has been at the club for 11 years since arriving from Borussia Monchengladbach in June 2014, making 420 appearances in all competitions for the Blaugrana. Despite his long injury layoff, the German goalkeeper undoubtedly has the quality to quickly regain form, leaving Flick with a difficult choice—should he opt for his compatriot, a world-class goalkeeper who has been at the club for so long, or the man who played a crucial role in Barca’s successful season so far? Barcelona has won the Spanish Super Cup this season and is tied on points with Real Madrid at the top of La Liga after 28 rounds, though with one game in hand. In the Champions League, they have reached the quarterfinals, where they will be heavy favorites against Borussia Dortmund. If they advance past the German side, Barca would face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semifinals.##NAJAVA_MECA_8789783##
