Following the death of the well-known Schalke fan “Erich”, donations were collected for a funeral on the fan field – with success.
On Monday, Erich Wehner passed away at the age of 68. The FC Schalke 04 fan community mourns the loss of the man who, under the dubious nickname “Asi-Erich”, was known like a colourful dog among the Königsblauen.
The reactions in the social media show how great the sympathy for the single man is. Many Schalke fans have posted pictures of “Erich” or reported on experiences with him and bid farewell in this way.
Farewell to a man who stood for the “old” Schalke like hardly anyone else. For the Schalke of people on the fringes of society, for the grubby Schalke. For the Schalke that others would have been or were ashamed of. For the Schalke that people pointed their fingers at or turned up their noses at. And for the very Schalke that all those who belonged to it were so infinitely proud of.
S04 fan Olivier Kruschinski had the idea of collecting donations to enable “Erich” to be buried on the Schalke fan field after his cremation. He would then be buried there alongside club legends like Reinhard “Stan” Libuda or champion player “Ala” Urban.
On Monday, he set up a donation account. 48 hours later, he has already collected the necessary sum for the burial on the Schalke fan field.
“Dear Schalke fans, dear supporters from all over the world and all colours, it has been just under 48 hours since I told you the sad news of Erich’s death and set up the fundraising campaign for his dignified funeral. You can literally feel how much this news affects us all, but above all how well known and loved Erich was everywhere,” Kruschinski writes on Facebook.
He continues: “Sadness and sympathy can also be measured at this point: Because I already knew from the various fundraising campaigns of the past years that your willingness to help was always enormous when it came to Erich. But now, in just a few hours, almost 15,000 (!) Euros have been collected. Donations from all over the world, from different fan camps, small, big…simply crazy. Unbelievable.”
With that, all the costs are covered. Kruschinski is now trying to find a funeral date between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to give as many supporters as possible the opportunity to say goodbye to Erich. “After the funeral, Erich will invite you for a beer,” writes Kruschinski.
Update: Since the city of Gelsenkirchen only gives out dates for funerals ten days in advance, Kruschinski is not yet able to name a fixed date for the funeral. The target date is 28 December. It will definitely be a public funeral service.