Europe is horrified by Russia’s escalation in eastern Ukraine. Especially in football, however, very few want to cut their business relationships immediately – the dependency is too great.
The upcoming Champions League final in St. Petersburg? “Shameful.” Gazprom as a million dollar sponsor of the traditional club Schalke 04 and the home EM 2024? tricky. The developments in eastern Ukraine do not stop at football either. Calls from politicians for sanctions in professional sports are getting louder and louder.
But football has been struggling with that so far.
Russia’s influence on football has become too great, too far-reaching in recent decades. The proximity to the central associations is extreme, the economic dependency enormous. The best example of this is the already mentioned FC Schalke 04.
Schalke’s Gazprom deal was bagged right in the Kremlin
Despite being relegated to the Bundesliga last summer, the Gelsenkircheners collect a two-digit million contribution from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom every year. The gas company has been advertising as the main sponsor on the chest of the seven-time German champion since 2007. The deal was once engineered directly in the Kremlin between Schalke’s long-standing chairman of the supervisory board, Clemens Tönnies, the butcher’s billionaire who resigned after a racism scandal, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
After Russia recognized the “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk and sent military forces to the Donbass, Schalke was provocatively tight-lipped. The club is following the violation of international law – which was not named as such – with “great concern”, it said in a short press release that Schalke sent on Tuesday.
Whether Schalke draws serious consequences from Russia’s behavior remains open. Instead, the club announced: “FC Schalke 04 will monitor further developments, assess them and urgently appeal for peace – to protect those affected by the crisis.”
DFB President Koch: “Delicate situation”
The question of the sponsor Gazprom also arises at the DFB. The Russian energy giant has been a close partner of the European umbrella organization Uefa for years – and is therefore prominently placed in the stadiums at the European Championships. This could also be the case at the upcoming European Championships in summer 2024 in Germany.
“It’s a very delicate situation that can change hourly and of course we all keep an eye on it,” said DFB interim president Rainer Koch of the ARD “Sportschau”. The 63-year-old emphasized: “At the moment it is about securing world peace and therefore about much more important things than football. Uefa will communicate any consequences for football if necessary.”
The final of the Champions League, the premier class of football, is scheduled to take place on May 28th. Ironically, in St. Petersburg, the seat of Gazprom and the hometown of Putin. Sabine Poschmann, sports policy spokeswoman for the SPD, considers a Champions League final in the Russian metropolis to be “unthinkable. Uefa is asked to move the final to another country.”
The British tabloid “The Sun” quickly brought up Wembley Stadium as a substitute venue for the final. The chances for the London Arena would therefore increase significantly if two English teams reach the final. Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC and Manchester United are currently still in the competition.
Expert predicts: “The ruble will continue to roll”
A look back shows that short-term shifts are quite possible. Last year, the final was moved from Istanbul to Porto, and in 2020 Uefa organized a final tournament in Lisbon due to the corona pandemic.
Meanwhile, Arseniy Zakharov thinks very little of such considerations. “Gazprom is the main sponsor of the Champions League. The St. Petersburg stadium is even called the Gazprom Arena. I would be very surprised if they postponed the final,” Ukrainian sports journalist told t-online. Zakharov is certain: “Uefa doesn’t want to mess things up with Gazprom. They will make sure that the ruble will continue to roll in the future.”