Schalke has terminated the sponsorship contract with the Russian company Gazprom because of the Ukraine war. NRW Prime Minister Wüst is now asking the economy to help the traditional club.
NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst has called on potential sponsors to support Schalke 04 after the separation from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. “A second division team that turns its back on such a big sponsor demands respect from me. It won’t be an easy situation,” said the CDU politician during a press conference on Tuesday.
Ambiguities regarding Schalke’s state guarantee
“I invite everyone who has always wanted to be a sponsor of a second division team to support Schalke now,” said Wüst. “It’s a good opportunity and certainly has double the advertising value if you do it in this situation.”
Due to the Russian attack on Ukraine, Schalke had broken away from Gazprom. When asked if he saw the 31.5 million euro state guarantee for Schalke at risk, Wüst said: “We will discuss everything that affects the state in due course.”
According to media reports, the club is about to reach an agreement with the housing company Vivawest for the main sponsorship (read more here). Nine million euros were contractually agreed with Gazprom for a second division season.
