German football team Schalke 04 remove Russian state-owned sponsor Gazprom’s name from their shirts after Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, as president’s ally Matthias Warnig resigns from club’s board
- Russia declared war on Ukraine on Thursday and have begun an invasion
- Schalke 04 have moved to cut ties with Russian state-owned sponsor Gazprom
- The German club announced the sponsor will no longer be displayed on shirts
- Nord Stream 2 CEO Matthias Warnig, an ally of Vladimir Putin’s has resigned from Schalke’s board with immediate effect
One of Germany’s biggest football teams, Schalke 04, have removed the name of Russian sponsors Gazprom from their shirts after Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine on Thursday.
Energy company Gazprom are majority-owned by the Russian state and are major sponsors of the Champions League as well as of Schalke.
The connection between Schalke and Gazprom was set up by Nord Stream 2 CEO Matthias Warnig, a former officer in East Germany’s notorious Stasi state police and a known ally of Putin’s.
Schalke are sponsored by Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company
Nord Stream 2 CEO Matthias Warnig has resigned from his position on Schalke’s board
A club statement read: ‘Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club’s shirts. It will be replaced by lettering reading ‘Schalke 04′ instead.’
Warnig and his Nord Stream 2 company, who are majority owned by Gazprom, are facing US sanctions for Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.
The $11billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which runs from near St Petersburg to Germany under the Baltic Sea and was set to double the the natural gas sent by Russia to Germany, is still awaiting a permit to start operations.
Its approval was suspended by Germany this week following events in Ukraine.
Schalke were relegated from Germany’s top flight last year but are one of the best-supported clubs in the country, boasting a 62,000-seater stadium in Gelsenkirchen in the north-west of the country.
They have won the Bundesliga seven times but not since 1958.
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