Bokake & Flotho reinforce U23
Christina Rühl-Hamers, the board member responsible for finances at FC Schalke 04, has sworn the club members of the newly promoted Bundesliga club to financially complicated times. “We’re on the right track, but we’re still a long way from where we want to be,” said the 45-year-old on Sunday at the district club’s general meeting. Although the Gelsenkirchen-based company recently reduced its debt by EUR 33.5 million, its liabilities still amount to EUR 183.5 million. “The rucksack has become lighter, but it is still heavily filled,” says Rühl-Hamers.
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Schalke recently found out what that means in terms of sport, among other things, on the transfer market. Schalke could not afford to sign the key player Ko Itakura (25), who was loaned out by Manchester City, for around 6 million euros. “Are we competitive with our budget in the 1st league? Yes,” said Rühl-Hamers. “Now can we do anything we would like to do? No.”
Schalke has so far invested just over 6 million euros in six newcomers and three permanent signings. Rühl-Hamers announced: “We will consistently continue on the path of commercial sense we have taken.” With Grace Bokake (20) from Hannover 96 and striker Moritz Flotho (20) from Hessen Kassel, two more youngsters joined the “Knappenschmiede” on Monday. The board member added: “We will improve our financial ability to act step by step.”
Sané to Embolo: The most expensive additions to Schalke 04
Schalke members do not discharge the board of directors for the years 2019 and 2020
Many members of FC Schalke 04 clearly expressed their dissatisfaction with the work of the club’s management and supervisory boards in 2019 and 2020. The executive and supervisory boards of these two financial years were not discharged at the general meeting in the corresponding votes. Earlier, a member had called for non-discharge on stage and suggested examining whether former board members could be held personally accountable for mistakes.
However, the fact that those responsible were not exonerated is mainly a symbolic act. “As far as I know, there are no legal consequences,” said Schalke CEO Bernd Schröder. The 2019 board included Christian Heidel, Alexander Jobst, Peter Peters and Jochen Schneider. In 2020, the committee consisted of Jobst, Peters, Schneider and Rühl-Hamers. However, the board responsible for 2021 with Rühl-Hamers, Schneider, Jobst and Peter Knäbel was relieved. Officially, 4,338 members were present in the Veltins Arena, of which 4,238 were entitled to vote. Not everyone voted.
In the further course of the event, two members of the Supervisory Board were elected. Johannes Struckmeier and Rolf Haselhorst prevailed against Martin Engel and Meinolf Weidenbach. The Royal Blues also announced on Monday that Axel Hefer had been re-elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Sports director Knäbel criticizes former Schalke scouting: “Was a ruin”
However, there was also criticism of the predecessors from the ranks of the current incumbents. Sports director Knäbel criticized Heidel and Schneider in terms of transfers. “The scouting area was a ruin when I took over,” said Knäbel (quoted via “WAZ“). Heidel introduced a new scouting system in 2017, instead of traveling to other countries, large groups of talent scouts, mostly sports students, were monitored in leagues – apparently without much success.
Terodde, Itakura & Co.: All Schalke additions for the 2021/22 season
Knäbel, who took over the post of sports director at the end of March 2021, now sees Schalke on a better path again. The sporting director Rouven Schröder, who was hailed by the members as the “king transfer of the past summer”, brought along a chief scout from ex-club Mainz 05 in André Hechelmann. Knäbel and Schröder also introduced data analysis.
“The central building block is the analysis of data. We no longer need to hide from other clubs when it comes to that. I would even say that we are among the most innovative in Germany,” explained Knäbel. The Scouting “was a ruin, now it’s a house. In the stadiums in Europe we have the presence that a club like Schalke 04 needs.”
4,338 members took part in the general meeting of FC Schalke 04 eV on Sunday.
Committee reports, election results and other information – now summarized in compact form https://t.co/tgdrSrMRHZ #S04 | #S04MV
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) June 12, 2022
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