Gelsenkirchen (dpa) – There is currently plenty to do on the club grounds of FC Schalke – not just in terms of sport.
Various tradesmen who are busy dismantling the many Gazprom logos in the stadium and outside the arena are attracting more attention than the football professionals in their preparations for the upcoming second division game against Hansa Rostock. By the time the game kicks off on Saturday (1.30 p.m. / SKY), the last traces of a long-term partnership must be removed.
Vivawest possible new Schalke partner?
It is quite possible that a different company logo will soon be installed. As “Kicker” and “Funke Medien” report, the Revierclub is making rapid progress in the search for a new shirt sponsor. Accordingly, the housing company Vivawest should be interested in a cooperation. A commitment would certainly not be unattractive: In view of the explosiveness, a supposed Gazprom successor would suddenly move into the spotlight. The real estate giant with around 120,000 apartments did not want to comment on the speculation when asked by the German press agency dpa on Tuesday.
Before the possible new liaison, the divorce modalities with Gazprom have to be clarified at Schalke anyway. It is still unclear how both sides will agree on the termination of the contract, which is dated until 2025. It could complicate the negotiations that Gazprom is said to have already paid around nine million euros for the current season.
Gazprom termination would probably be legal
According to Rainer Cherkeh (Hannover), a lawyer specializing in sports law, the dismissal of FC Schalke would “withstand judicial review”. “In the case of a sponsorship contract, either party can terminate the agreement without observing a notice period if there is an important reason. The current dramatic development should justify such an extraordinary right of termination for Schalke 04, mainly because the Russian Federation sees the Gazprom group as a largest shareholder controls,” Cherkeh said.
The separation from Gazprom after 15 years is seen as a turning point in Gelsenkirchen. After all, Schalke had settled comfortably under the protective shield of the Russian gas giant. In the Bundesliga times, between 15 and 20 million euros are said to have flowed per year, after relegation for a second division club it was still a proud eight to ten million euros.
Special jerseys without advertising are in great demand
This money was vital for the traditional club with a debt of over 200 million euros and should also play a major role in the plans for the upcoming licensing process. After Gazprom’s financial resources dried up, club bosses tried to allay fans’ fears of even greater financial difficulties. “The club’s full financial capacity to act remains unaffected by this decision,” it said in a statement.
The first advantages of the separation can already be felt. The demand for the special jerseys without the lettering of the previous Russian main sponsor Gazprom on the chest remains high. The team started with these jerseys on Saturday in Karlsruhe (1:1).
In addition, the withdrawal from the Gazprom contract brought an image boost. Georg Vonnahme, chairman of the largest fan club “Königsblau Brilon”, welcomed this step in the “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung”: “With this campaign, the fans have been won back. I’m sure that many fans will be happy to buy a jersey again right now which doesn’t say Gazprom. There’s also huge demand in our fan club.”