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Protest action by Schalke fans against the chairman of the supervisory board Clemens Tönnies on the club's premises (picture from June 2020)
Photo:
RHR-FOTO / Dennis Ewert / imago images / RHR-Foto
When FC Schalke 04 played at Werder Bremen, the lights went out.
It was the first match day of the 2004/05 season, which Bremer opened as champions with a delay.
An excavator had destroyed a cable sleeve on a construction site near the Weser Stadium and the floodlights had failed.
Schalke started as seventh in the previous season, lost the opening game 0-1, but ended the season right before Werder in second place in the table.
Those were good times for the people of Gelsenkirchen who stayed good for many more years.
Even if the light flickered in the meantime.
In the meantime, as at many other Bundesliga locations, the emergency power generators have been running at Schalke for months - except that the sporting situation is better there.
The bottom of the table played 1: 1 (0: 1) at Werder Bremen on Saturday.
“It's good to take a point.
It's a small success for us, ”said striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who came on late at a time when it was all about saving the point.
Huntelaar is one of three winter additions.
In addition to him, sports director Jochen Schneider also loaned Sead Kolašinac from Arsenal FC and William from VfL Wolfsburg.
Two newly concluded sponsorship contracts with immediate payments brought money for a possible further transfer.
The deadline for such deals is February 1st, as is the deadline for other possible bills.
They could be more important than half-year loans from full-backs.
A choice with far-reaching consequences
On June 13, FC Schalke 04 wants to invite its approximately 123,000 voting members to the meeting, at which five supervisory board members are to be elected.
The exact procedure - pure face-to-face event, digital gathering, mixed form - is open due to the dynamic Corona situation.
But an exciting election is looming, one that could have far-reaching consequences.
Put simply, it is a question of whether the club will finally emancipate itself from the Schalke that long-standing chairman of the supervisory board Clemens Tönnies shaped with his solo efforts and lack of transparency.
For the old Schalke stands Peter Peters, who, according to information from SPIEGEL, wants to apply for a candidacy for the supervisory board, but has not yet submitted a corresponding letter.
Peters had only resigned last summer after almost three decades at the club, many of them as CFO.
A significantly worsened relationship with Tönnies is said to have contributed to this.
The attempt at a possible comeback comes as a surprise, especially since Peters is likely to be elected to the council of the world association Fifa in April and is also pulling heavily on the German Football League (DFL) and the German Football Association (DFB).
Peters did not want to comment on a possible application and his motivation when asked by SPIEGEL.
With the help of the Honorary Council, sidelined
Axel Hefer would stand for another Schalke.
The chairman of the board of a large travel comparison portal became famous around the world last week after his young son burst into a live interview with CNN.
Hefer, who has already submitted his application for a candidacy as a member of the supervisory board, has already been a member of the important body that appoints and dismisses the board members and has to approve all transactions with a volume of at least half a million euros.
Between 2014 and 2017 there were frequent differences of opinion between Hefer and Tönnies, who put his adversary in the cold with the help of the well-disposed council of honor.
After Hefer went to court, his suspension had to be lifted.
Stefan Barta is also a declared opponent of Tönnies.
Last June, the book author and his partner Katharina Strohmeyer organized a demonstration at the Gelsenkirchen Arena against Tönnies, who had come under great pressure due to many corona cases in his meat company.
»I am neither a financial expert nor a lawyer, but because I have an extremely deep insight into the club and have a good relationship with many committee members, fan organizations and many leading employees, I believe that I can help reunite the club. «Schalke, according to Barta, have lost many fans because of Tönnies and the mismanagement of the current board.
"We want to win this faction back."
Influential fan groups should above all approve of a candidacy from Hefer, just like that of the former professional Hans Sarpei, who had already submitted his application on time for the 2020 general meeting.
Huub Stevens, who was previously considered the sports administrator in the council, should no longer apply.
Due to the pandemic, last year's meeting has to be rescheduled.
It can be assumed that the elections from 2020 on June 13th will be combined with those from 2021.
30 applications expected for ten candidate positions
Schalke's supervisory board has eleven members, but five of them are delegated, for example by the Schalker Fan Club Association, or appointed by the committee itself.
With five of the six elected posts to be filled in the summer, Schalke could face major reform, if not revolution.
It is questionable that Matthias Warnig, board member of Nord Stream 2 AG, a former Stasi major and sent through the main sponsor Gazprom, which Tönnies arranged for, would be reappointed.
The new, different Schalke is striving for a majority on the supervisory board, which has to make important personal decisions.
Sports director Jochen Schneider is unlikely to see the end of his contract in 2022 at Schalke.
He announced himself that relegation would mean his end at the club.
Alexander Jobst, responsible for marketing and sales, is viewed critically by many fans and influential groups.
Christina Rühl-Hamers as CFO should definitely stay.
It seems questionable whether she will be controlled by her former boss from summer onwards.
The candidates for the supervisory board are approved by the election committee.
Insiders expect more than 30 applications for ten candidate places - two for each seat. Peter Peters should strictly reject at least one member of the seven men and one woman in the election committee.
At Schalke, there is an exciting game going on away from the grass and the floodlights.
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