Berlin (dpa) – In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, DFB presidential candidate Peter Peters has called for an end to Gazprom’s sponsorship of the European Football Union and the second division club FC Schalke 04.
“A clear yes,” said the 59-year-old in the evening on ZDF’s “Aktuelles Sportstudio” when asked a question. It is neither communicable nor responsible to continue like this. “Things have changed so massively. It can’t go on like this,” said Peters.
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom has been a sponsor of the Champions League since 2012. In May 2021, a new contract, probably worth millions, was signed, which also includes national team competitions until 2024. The second division club Schalke has been sponsored by Gazprom Germania, a German Gazprom subsidiary, since 2007. Peters, who left the club in 2020, was Schalke’s chief financial officer when the contract was signed.
Exclusion of Russian teams
At the same time, Peters spoke out in favor of excluding Russian football teams from all international competitions. “I can’t imagine anyone playing a football game against a Russian team at the moment,” said the former co-chairman of the German Football Association (DFB).
He also supports the exclusion of the Russian national team from the playoffs for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. “As long as the war is on, definitely,” said Peters. Poland is scheduled to play in Russia on March 24 and has already turned it down.
The world governing body FIFA has not yet made a decision on sanctions against Russia. Peters, who sits on the FIFA Council, said he was not happy that the situation was only being observed at the moment. “It’s not braking, no decision has been made yet,” said the official.