Schalke 04: Knäbel puts pressure on professionals – first positive numbers since 2018

A ray of hope in a sporting crisis

Schalke sports director Peter Knäbel has held the Royal Blues’ professionals responsible for the catastrophic start to the second division season and called for a clear improvement. “The table shows the sporting reality. At this moment it’s all about reducing the point gap between the non-relegation places,” the 57-year-old explained to the “WAZ“. S04 had not shown any fundamental improvement under new head coach Karel Geraerts and lost 3-0 at Karlsruher SC at the weekend.

“Until the winter break, everyone, especially the players, is called upon to give the absolute maximum out of themselves on every single match day – for the club, for the employees and also for themselves. That is our clear expectation. I am convinced that we must and will only get out of there together,” said Knäbel. The short-term effect of the coaching change did not occur in the defeat at KSC. Nevertheless, Geraerts, who works “meticulously, intensively and purposefully”, and who became louder towards the team during the half-time break, receives full support.

“The sporting leadership has and will give him full support for all measures that he sees as necessary. And one thing is certain: there will be no taboos. That counts for everyone in the professional performance center. Karel will set the direction with his analysis and we will support him in the best possible way,” said Knäbel, who followed up with a clear announcement: “The team is clearly and unambiguously called upon to win back our fans and the Veltins Arena. That’s now entirely up to them – and they can only do that if they move forward with unconditional commitment and stick to the coach’s plan.”

Sports director André Hechelmann described the S04’s performance as “absolutely unacceptable”. After ten match days, the distance between the relegated side and safety in the lower house is five points – with a squad value that, despite devaluations in the latest update, is one of the three highest in the league at 33.2 million euros. Direct promotion is still a long way off after less than a third of the season; instead, the horror scenario of the 3rd league threatens. For comparison: In 2021/22, after the last trip to the 2nd league, the “Knappen” needed some time to get started, but after ten match days they had 19 points and third place. Last year, after the return to the Bundesliga, the club under Frank Kramer only had one point less one floor higher than at the moment.

FC Schalke 04 announces positive business figures for the first half of 2023

Schalke at least have positive things to report on another front. The Revierklub published the business figures for the first half of 2023 on Tuesday. Due, among other things, to higher revenues in the Bundesliga year and the feasibility of stadium events without corona-related restrictions, S04 recorded a significant increase in sales from 55.9 million to 81.7 million euros. “This results in a half-year profit of 9.3 million euros, which – in view of the loss of 19.9 million euros from the same period last year – represents an extremely positive earnings development,” it said in a statement.

These are the first black figures since 2018. Total liabilities were reduced from 180.1 million to 165.1 million euros. For the full year 2023, the club expects a profit in the single-digit million range.

“Our work over the past few years has borne fruit and made it possible to pursue three central goals in parallel: setting up a budget for the team that is competitive in relation to the sporting goals, consistently continuing to reduce liabilities and ultimately achieving a positive result,” commented CFO Christina Rühl-Hamers presented the figures.

The relegation despite a licensed player budget of around 40 million euros was a “noticeable setback with lasting financial effects”. In the medium term, Schalke wants to return to the upper house. “The main driver of economic development is sporting success. This is obvious in a sports club. That’s why we will do everything together to break the negative trend in the short term,” explained Rühl-Hamers.

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