According to a report in “Sport Bild”, FC Schalke 04 has an empty squad in the event of a potential relegation.
Last weekend, FC Schalke 04 celebrated an important victory against Hansa Rostock and overtook their direct competitor, who was passed on to the relegation place for the 3rd division.
Before the winter break, Rostock reacted by sacking their coach Alois Schwartz.
For Schalke, on the other hand, the away win at Hansa Rostock has given them a bit of a boost for their next game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Friday (December 15, 6:30 p.m.). Ahead of the game against the in-form fourth-placed team (five wins and one draw in their last six matches), a report explains the importance of Schalke remaining in the second division.
As reported by “Sport Bild”, not a single player in the current squad has a contract for the 3rd division. This is common practice for standard DFL contracts, but clubs can add an additional clause in the event of relegation to the third division. The Schalke management refrained from doing so – even in the case of Keke Topp, who the report highlights and who could thus leave S04 in the event of relegation despite his contract being extended until 2025.
Players like new signing Ron Schallenberg came to Gelsenkirchen in the summer with very different goals than avoiding relegation; other contracts were negotiated or extended while he was still in the Bundesliga, meaning they are still expensive to pay.
Relegation to the 3rd division would have severe financial consequences. The team’s salary costs would probably have to be more than halved, but it is questionable whether individual players would accept such cuts. Should the team actually be relegated again after the season, S04 would be left without players.
This makes it all the more important to avoid relegation. With the victories in Rostock and against bottom-of-the-league VfL Osnabrück (4-0), important direct duels were won and the trend is pointing upwards. With Greuther Fürth, Schalke faces a different challenge again on Friday…