The outgoing sporting director Peter Knäbel does not see his greatest success at the traditional soccer club Schalke 04 in sporting terms.

“This unification of the club between fans and team has actually been the best thing I’ve experienced,” said the 57-year-old, who will leave the Royal Blues at the end of the season, in an interview with Sky.

After relegation in 2021, some fans had massively attacked the players at their own stadium on their return after the decisive defeat in Bielefeld, and the relationship between professionals and supporters was worse than it had been for a long time. On promotion a year later, the fans celebrated as if Schalke had won the league title. “To get this band so strong again is what I am personally most proud of,” said Knäbel.

By contrast, his sporting record since February 2021, when he was promoted from youth director to sporting director, has been poor with the club’s immediate relegation and drop to 15th place in the 2nd division. Knäbel, who has recently come under increasing criticism for transfer flops and wrong coaching decisions, defended himself: “I believe we have set the framework within which we could have managed it. But these are only framework conditions in which you are at the mercy of luck and chance. Of course, we didn’t make all the right decisions. “

The team had a “competitive budget”. However, he added: “That can also go wrong.” He himself has “never played the role of sports director, but I have filled the role as it can be filled with me”. He does not stand for the “big show”, said Knäbel, which was known “when I was chosen”. Nevertheless, he emphasized: “In the end, I simply say: Schalke is awesome!”