Schalke: Peter Peters on Gazprom money – “It was sweet poison”

Former Schalke CFO Peter Peters commented on the Gazprom sponsorship in the current sports studio. He justifies the deal.

Even the start was bumpy for Peter Peters (59). When the DFB presidential candidate was welcomed by presenter Jochen Breyer in ZDF’s “Aktuelles Sportstudio” on Saturday evening, studio guest Peters responded with a “welcome.” A small misconception. But the long-standing CFO of the second division soccer team also did afterwards FC Schalke 04 no safe impression. Peters was aware that he had to comment on some controversial questions about his Schalke past and did so.

In view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the pressure on his former club increased Schalke 04 getting bigger this week. It was Peters who once helped to thread the deal with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. In a ZDF clip, old pictures from the time the contract was signed could be seen. Peters also appeared alongside Russian representatives.

The club is bigger than any of its partners and that’s why Schalke 04 will pack it with its power, even if it’s going to be difficult.

Peter Peters

Whether he is now also for an end to Gazprom’s sponsorship of the European Football Union and the FC Schalke 04 be, he was asked right at the beginning. “A resounding yes,” said Peters. It is neither communicable nor responsible to continue like this. “Things have changed so massively. It can’t go on like this,” emphasized the 59-year-old.

Gazprom has been a sponsor of the Champions League since 2012. A new contract, probably worth millions, was signed in May 2021, which also includes national team competitions until 2024. Gazprom Germania, a German Gazprom subsidiary, has been sponsoring Schalke’s second division club since 2007. Peters, who left the club in 2020, was Schalke’s chief financial officer when the contract was signed.

The Russian attack on Ukraine had fundamentally changed his perspective, Peters assured: “My relationship with Russia, which had been shaped by friendship for years, has broken down.” The former co-chairman of the DFB described Schalke’s quick reaction to no longer wearing the Gazprom logo after the Russian attack on Ukraine as “appropriate and correct.”

He assumes that his former club can survive without Gazprom’s financial support. “The club is bigger than any of its partners and that’s why Schalke 04 will pack it with its power, even if it’s going to be difficult.”

Nevertheless, the conclusion of the contract with Gazprom was not a mistake, said Peters. “2006 was a different time. Back then, Gazprom was a sought-after partner. Many clubs were interested and they chose Schalke. Of course, I stand by this decision, I supported it back then. The war changed everything. But it did still worked back then.”

ZDF moderator Breyer asked at this point and brought Peters with important facts in need of explanation. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008. Levan Kobiashvili, professional at Schalke 04 at the time, had problems with it. “We stood by Gazprom at the time. In retrospect, perhaps we didn’t really recognize the signs of the times,” was Peters’ vague reply. He would not have expected such a development.

Peters admitted that the Gazprom deal had been questioned internally in the meantime. “We finally came to the conclusion we came to. In the light of today, we see things differently. Back then the decision was right. This discussion has not only accompanied football and sponsorship over the years. We have had many intensive ones Had conversations, listened to many opinions. I chose the term ‘sweet poison’. It was sweet because there was money. Now we know it was poison.”

Peter Peters open to discussing values ​​in football

In view of his experiences, Peters is open to a discussion of values ​​in football. It must be reconsidered which sources of income clubs will develop in the future. “That’s the way it is. It’s important to reflect on past decisions, rethink them and make other decisions in the future. When discussing values ​​vs. money, it’s not just about money.”

–