Reason Marc-Andre Was Barred From Voting During Barcelona’s Presidential Election
- Joan Laporta and Victor Font are slugging it out over who becomes the president of Barcelona Football Club
- The Catalan captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen was prevented from exercising his right on Sunday, March 15
- A total of 114,504 members are eligible to vote, with Laporta favoured to win due to his experience
- Nigerian sports journalist Bayo Adegboyega who spoke with Legit.ng shares his insight on the matter
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Joan Laporta and Victor Font went head-to-head in the presidential election to determine who would become president of Barcelona on Sunday, March 15.
Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen was unable to cast his vote despite being present at the polling station.
The German goalkeeper, who is currently on loan at Girona, was about to vote before discovering that his name was missing from the voters’ list. The 33-year-old waited for about five minutes while officials checked the register.
Source: Getty Images
The former Borussia Monchengladbach star, who joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014, also reviewed his documentation with his advisors in an attempt to resolve the issue immediately.
Why was Ter Stegen barred from voting?
German international Marc-Andre ter Stegen was reportedly not registered during the club’s socio census.
According to ESPN, this meant his details were not updated in time for the electoral roll, preventing him from voting.
Currently on loan at Girona until June 30 and recovering from injury, the German goalkeeper missed the administrative update that would have allowed him to participate.
Meanwhile, Barca Universal reported that Saturday’s vote involved 114,504 eligible members, who could cast their ballots at five polling stations across Catalonia and Andorra between 9am and 9pm Spanish time.
Fans react to Ter Stegen's ordeal
@AbuAzeezAbolaji said:
"This is so embarassing from them."
@AAAlhaji21 wrote:
"So you all see what Larpota is doing?
"He has divided the club across good Barca and bad Barca fans. You can't treat your club captain like this . Never."
Source: Getty Images
@Desmund_Oris added:
"This is quite embarrassing. For the team first captain not to be able to vote because his name didn’t appear on the electoral register is quite shameful."
@wayz1550742 said:
"It's a shame he left without voting, but it’s great to see a captain like Ter Stegen actually caring about the Barcelona presidential elections. He should have been the first name on that list."
@wayz1550742 wrote:
"They saw him coming and realized he wasn't voting for the 'right' candidate, so they made his name disappear from the electoral roll. Unbelievable."
Speaking with Legit.ng, Bayo Adegboyega explained that the politics in sports is tougher than the normal elections. He said:
"Sports politics is one of the toughest elections. As an individual who has witnessed the Nigeria Football Federation and National Sports Federation elections, I can tell you for free that a lot goes underground.
"Everything will return to normal once the election is completed."
Meanwhile, Barcelona's women's team, consisting of players like Aitana Bonmati and Laia Aleixandri both voted, as did defender Hector Fort, currently on loan at Elche, and former players Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Guillermo Amor and Carles Rexach.
Barcelona president to land Osimhen in Camp Nou
Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona could be preparing for a blockbuster signing this summer, with former president Joan Laporta expressing confidence that the Spanish giants have the financial clout to invest in a new star striker.
Among the names reportedly under consideration is Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen, currently dazzling at Galatasaray.
Source: Legit.ng
