Putin’s long arm and his aggression in eastern Ukraine extends to the Bundesliga. This is where FC Schalke 04 and its Gazprom deal come into focus again. The club management wants to sit out the problem, but the uneasiness among the fans is growing.
The escalation of the situation in Ukraine also affects sport and the Bundesliga. Particularly affected in this country: FC Schalke 04, which has had a connection with the Russian company Gazprom as the main sponsor for years. With Matthias Warnig, the CEO of Nord Stream 2 AG, a Putin confidant sits on Schalke’s supervisory board. As the club’s management announced in a statement on Tuesday, the club is following the situation in Eastern Europe “with great concern”. It is still unclear whether the association will take any action. “FC Schalke 04 will monitor further developments, evaluate them and make a strong appeal for peace – to protect those affected by the crisis,” the statement said.
The club is “aware of its special role among German sports clubs,” said the club’s management: “With Gazprom Germania, a German subsidiary of the Russian state energy company Gazprom, S04 has had a reliable partner and a relevant gas supplier in Germany for 15 years now Germany at his side. Those responsible for the club are in constant dialogue with the long-standing main sponsor.”
For the club, “there is no question that the association is committed to peace and peaceful coexistence, the members have committed non-violence to their mission statement,” emphasized the club. Paragraph 8 states: “We Schalke players do not emit any discrimination or violence.” This attitude was expressed in talks with Gazprom Germania.
Gazprom’s commitment is quite controversial in the Schalke fan scene. In view of the current situation in Donbass, the regular advertising in the Veltins Arena for Gazprom and Nord Stream 2 seems downright grotesque in the eyes of many fans. But the club has no interest in raising the issue. Even when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, there was no noticeable reaction. Not surprising, because the economic dependency on Gazprom is blatant. According to media reports, the second division team, which is fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga, currently receives around ten million euros per season. A sum that would presumably double if the Bundesliga were promoted. The liabilities currently amount to around 140 million euros. Due to the ghost games due to the corona situation, the current economic situation remains challenging. In the first half of 2021, the miners reported a deficit of 21 million euros.
The Gazprom deal is a thorn in the side of many fans
Key data that do not necessarily make it easier to dissolve the Gazprom deal. Nevertheless, marketing expert Raphael Brinkert demands exactly that on Twitter. “It has been clear since tonight at the latest: the cooperation with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom was, is and will remain a mistake.” Should Russia invade Ukraine, “the club must act immediately, qua mission statement and self-interest, terminate the sponsorship and distance itself from the supervisory board Matthias Warnig,” said Brinkert.
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Brinkert is not just anyone at Schalke. Last year he was considered a candidate for the chairmanship of the board. Most recently, he was responsible for Olaf Scholz’s victorious election campaign with his agency “BrinkertLückCreatives”.
The controversial Gazprom deal was initiated in 2007 by then-Chairman Clemens Tönnies. Originally, the agreement would have expired in 2022, but Schalke and Gazprom extended the contract early in March 2021 until 2025.
After Putin’s aggression, Uefa is also faced with a dilemma
But the Bundesliga club is not the only one directly affected by the escalation in Ukraine. The European football association Uefa is also in focus. Gazprom has been a close partner of the continental federation for years and is also prominently visible in the stadium at European championships. This could also be the case at the EM in summer 2024 in Germany.
Spicy: The Champions League final is scheduled to take place on May 28 in the Russian metropolis of St. Petersburg of all places. There are currently “no plans” to change anything at the venue, Uefa said. A decision that was sharply criticized by British foreign policy expert Tom Tugendhat: “This is a shameful decision. Uefa should not cover a violent dictatorship,” the conservative politician tweeted. In the course of the day there should be further consultations at Uefa.
The handball players are quicker to react. The European Handball Federation has already announced that it will not host any international games in Ukraine in the next four weeks due to the escalating situation. Instead, men’s champions Motor Zaporozhye are to play their two home games in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain (March 1) and FC Barcelona (March 3) in a neutral hall in Presov, Slovakia.
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
