Gelsenkirchen (dpa) – Russia’s attack on Ukraine is forcing FC Schalke 04 to face severe consequences in dealing with its main Russian sponsor Gazprom.
First, the association reported that businessman Matthias Warnig, who was sanctioned by the United States, was resigning from his position as Gazprom representative on the supervisory board. The company’s lettering still dominated the sponsor wall. Almost four hours later it was also clear: From now on, Schalke’s jerseys will no longer contain a reference to the energy giant.
Schalke removes Gazprom lettering from jersey
“In view of the events, development and escalation of the past few days,” the club decided to remove the lettering from the jersey, it said in a statement. The move follows talks with Gazprom Germania. “Instead, Schalke 04 will be on the chest of the Royal Blues,” said the club. Coach Dimitrios Grammozis was a bit ahead of his time: the sponsor’s lettering was missing from his jacket at the press conference.
The effects of the Ukraine conflict also hit Schalke with force because of the problematic partnership. Because the Russian state-owned company, one of the largest gas suppliers in Germany, keeps the traditional club, which is burdened with liabilities of around 200 million euros, afloat. The contract runs until 2025.
Supervisory Board Warnig resigns
The previous supervisory board Warnig is the chairman of the management of Nord Stream 2 AG, which is a subsidiary of the Russian energy group Gazprom. “As soon as all the formal processes that have to be followed have been carried out, he will also leave the supervisory board of FC Schalke 04,” said club spokesman Marc Siekmann. Everyone in the club was “shocked by what was happening in Europe.”
US President Joe Biden announced punitive measures against the operating company Nord Stream 2 AG and its boss Warnig on Wednesday. The Treasury Department in Washington said business with the operator Nord Stream 2 AG must be terminated within a week. In view of the Russian escalation, the federal government put the project on hold on Tuesday and stopped the approval process for Nord Stream 2 for the time being.
Problematic partnership causes unrest
Warnig has been a Gazprom representative on the supervisory board since 2019. Former Schalke supervisory board chairman and meat producer Clemens Tönnies brought Gazprom Germania on board. At that time he held a Schalke jersey together with Putin for the cameras. Marketing expert Raphael Brinkert brought up a sponsor pool for compensation payments in connection with a possible separation from Gazprom.
Second division fifth Schalke emphasized on Wednesday that they stand for peace and peaceful coexistence and that non-violence is part of the club’s mission statement. Coach Grammozis admitted on the Thursday before the game at Karlsruher SC (Saturday/1.30 p.m./Sky) that “such events are not just any background noise, but rain down on you very hard in everyday life. Of course we all hope that it will be a peaceful one again meetings that ultimately lead to a peaceful outcome,” he said.