2nd league
Gelsenkirchen (dpa) – No external candidate, but an internal solution with a cult Schalke: The previous assistant coach Mike Büskens should lead FC Schalke 04 to promotion to the Bundesliga.
The 53-year-old is temporarily succeeding Dimitrios Grammozis, who was released by the Gelsenkirchen team on Sunday.
“He lives Schalke and Gelsenkirchen 24 hours a day and will do everything to ensure that we have the chance of promotion to the Bundesliga until the last matchday,” said sports director Rouven Schröder, according to the club’s announcement. However, a positive corona test initially slowed Büskens down. For the time being, assistant Matthias Kreutzer will be in charge of the training.
“When Rouven approached me on Sunday afternoon with the club’s request, I first tried to talk to my family and Huub Stevens. Everyone advised me to take on the task until the end of the season,” said Büskens. After that, the member of the famous Eurofighter side that won the UEFA Cup in 1997 is set to resume his job as assistant coach.
Schalke needs a winning streak
The interim solution gives those responsible time to look for a new coach. Should Schalke remain in the 2nd Bundesliga beyond the summer, the new coach would not have the burden of missed promotion.
The big goal is still within reach for the Ruhr area club, but it needs a winning streak. “For us, it’s now about getting the maximum out of the remaining nine games together. We can only succeed as a tight-knit community if we give everything together and bring the potential that the team has to the pitch – in terms of football and character ” said Buskens. After the 3:4 defeat of the Royal Blues against FC Hansa Rostock last Saturday, the deficit to the relegation place and a direct promotion rank is already six points.
Vivawest replaces Gazprom as sponsor
The sporting misery and the change of coach come at a time when the traditional club is already troubled. As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Schalke ended their cooperation with their long-standing sponsor Gazprom last week. Since 2007, the Russian state-owned company has been the most important financier of the Gelsenkirchen company, which is burdened with around 200 million euros in liabilities. Most recently, about nine million euros per season flowed to Schalke.
The club quickly found a new financier and shirt sponsor in Vivawest. However, the revenues from the temporary partnership are likely to be significantly lower than those from the Gazprom era. That’s another reason why a quick return to the Bundesliga would be important. A promotion would make the search for a long-term sponsor successor much easier and enable more lucrative contracts.
Schalke had been very changeable on the pitch in the past few weeks. Only second division record scorer Simon Terodde played consistently at a very high level. The next game and thus the first test for Büskens is next Sunday. In the bottom of the table from Ingolstadt, a win is then a must. Whether Büskens, who has worked as interim coach for Schalke several times, will then sit on the bench is still open. He currently has no symptoms after his positive corona test, the club said. Depending on the course of recovery, a deployment on the sidelines is possible.