Gelsenkirchen (dpa) – Chief executive Bernd Schröder has no doubts that financially struggling FC Schalke 04 will receive the license even if they are to be relegated from the Bundesliga again.
“Yes, I’m quite sure we will make it. As reasonable traders, we also arm ourselves for this scenario. We have to demonstrate in the license that we are again fully funded in the 2nd division – and I am convinced that we will,” said the business mathematician of the “Bild am Sonntag”.
If it were to stay in football’s lower house for a longer period of time, however, major renovations would be needed: “After three or four years in the second division, Schalke should look different, we’ve always said that. We should therefore look into what measures are necessary and sensible. You could sell the so-called silverware, you would have to shell out the costs.”
Before the Bundesliga restarts in the third weekend of January, the Revierclub, which has debts of around 180 million euros, is five points off the piggy bank in bottom of the table. However, Schröder sees FC Schalke 04 among the best German clubs.
“Even though we are 18 right now, we are asked and we still matter. We are still one of the three biggest clubs in Germany, we are in the top 3 and we are important for German football,” said the 56-year-old, referring to the 165,000 members and many fans.
Schröder also referred to the high TV ratings for Schalke’s matches: “Which matches do the fans watch? These are especially Bayern, Dortmund and Schalke matches. We are a great player in German football, we know our worth.”
He called for a different distribution of television money: “Whoever guarantees more odds should also have more money. It is clubs like Frankfurt, Bremen, Cologne and Schalke, together with Bayern and Dortmund, that keep the Bundesliga attractive and attract thousands of fans to stadiums and in front of the television.The rights holders pay for it, so in the end you have to see it on our behalf.
