Schalkes cult fan “Erich” was buried in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. This is how the funeral service went.

350 Schalke fans said goodbye to Erich Wehner in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. The cult fan was buried on the Schalke fan field after a funeral service in the mourning hall at Beckhausen-Sutum cemetery.

It was a farewell just as Erich would have wished. The “old” Schalke, of which so little has remained in the meantime, once again became tangible. There was the Kutten fan next to the Gelsen scene and the Supporters Club next to Olaf Thon or Mike Büskens.

They were all united by the desire to say goodbye to a man who had accompanied FC Schalke 04 matches for more than 30 years. Mostly with little or no money, but he was always there where the Knappen played. Someone always had a mark or later a euro for him. Erich lived to be 68 years old.

In the eyes of outsiders, he perhaps embodied the antisocial Schalker that the Nordkurve (only) sings about today. But he lived his life the way he wanted to. And that produced a number of stories. Many of them were retold on Wednesday at the joint drink. There was beer and schnapps, Erich would have liked that. And even the clergyman drank a pilsner with them in the name of the Lord.

More than 15,000 euros were raised within 48 hours through donations following an appeal by Olivier Kruschinski. “Many S04 fans of course, but also a BVB fan club and supporters of other clubs were involved,” Kruschinski said on Wednesday. More came together than the funeral cost.

Did Schalke also officially participate in the funeral service? “Schalke is standing here,” Kruschinski replied. And was undoubtedly right. Many fans had tears in their eyes. Knowing that another piece of it was gone. And some even threw one-euro coins into the grave. So that “Erich” always has a nest egg in his pocket, even where he is now…