Barcelona inserting special clauses in player contracts to avoid a ‘Neuer case’ – report

In December 2022, Manuel Neuer, while on holiday, picked up a severe injury while skiing, and has since not been able to make an appearance for Bayern Munich or the German national team.

An injury like this has put top clubs on alert, who want to avoid losing their players due to dangerous activities such as this, especially during a very difficult fixture schedule.

Barcelona are one of the clubs, as reported by SPORT, who have put various clauses in players’ contracts in an attempt to prevent such injuries.

No cycling, skydiving, skating, or padel

Gerard Pique was notorious for pulling up to training and matchdays on a bicycle, but the club have put a stop to that now. Players are not allowed to use cycles of motorbikes as a commute anymore.

Further, they have also banned dangerous recreational activities such as parasailing, skydiving, skating, and of course, skiing, among others.

Further, a lot of players over the last few seasons have engaged in padel, a racket sport. Barcelona have decided to put a stop to that, as well, as they believe it caused multiple muscle injuries and knocks.

These clauses have been extended to the handball, basketball, and futsal teams as well, and even Barcelona Atletic.

The report explains that this clause has been in action for a long time, now, but over time, new activities have been added to it.

Context behind Barcelona’s caution

There is a good reason why Barcelona are adding several layers to this clause. Several important players over the last couple of seasons have picked up mid to long-term injuries, which has ruled them out for crucial games.

Most notably last season, when Andreas Christensen, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, and Ousmane Dembele, among others, were sidelined during the Champions League group stages, and then the Europa League knockouts, causing elimination in both competitions.

As such, Barça do not want to throw caution to the wind, and are very particular about injuries that have been blamed on the medical staff in the recent past, otherwise.