Barcelona veteran star 'embarrassed' when unable to participate in club presidential election

The Barcelona club presidential election took place on Sunday (March 15), as incumbent president Joan Laporta sought to continue leading the Catalan team. Thousands of club members (socios) were present at the team's facilities to cast their votes, including many players, since all Barcelona players automatically become members when signing contracts with the club.

However, a rather unusual situation occurred with German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen when he could not exercise his voting right, despite being present at the polling station.

When appearing at the stadium to vote, Ter Stegen quickly attracted the attention of those present. Although currently playing on loan at Girona FC, the German goalkeeper still demonstrated his commitment to Barcelona by wanting to fulfill his duty as a member, participating in the crucial election determining the club's future.

However, when approaching the ballot box and presenting his membership card, an unexpected issue arose. Ter Stegen had to wait several minutes for the staff in charge to check his information. After reviewing the data, they notified him that his name was not on the voter list.

The reason is believed to be that although the club automatically registers players as members, they still need to complete certain administrative procedures to officially confirm this status. In Ter Stegen's case, this process appears to have not been finalized. Presidential candidate Víctor Font stated that the information and membership fees related to the German goalkeeper had not been fully updated, which could explain why he was not permitted to vote.

In contrast to Ter Stegen, another player also currently playing on loan, Héctor Fort, now at Elche CF, was able to exercise his voting right normally.

Additionally, many prominent Barcelona figures also participated in the election, including current Women's Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, along with two club legends Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernández.

According to reports, a total of 114,504 eligible members participated in voting. The ballots were cast at five polling stations across Catalonia and Andorra, taking place from 9 AM to 9 PM Spanish time.

The incident quickly sparked numerous reactions on social media. Some fans considered it "shameful" that Barcelona's former captain could not vote simply because his name was absent from the voter list.

For Ter Stegen, this was clearly an unpleasant moment during a difficult phase of his career, as he is undergoing long-term injury treatment while encountering this rare incident preventing him from participating in a crucial club event. The 33-year-old goalkeeper, who joined Barcelona from Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2014, is currently in a recovery phase post-surgery and is expected to be sidelined for nearly four months.