2nd Bundesliga consolidated results
Schalke is in the black for the first time since 2018, but is trembling about relegation
As of: 5:50 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
FC Schalke is fighting against relegation in the second division. For the club with its emotional fans, it’s about existence
Quelle: Getty Images/Maja Hitij
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FC Schalke continues to reduce debt. The financial situation at the struggling second division club remains tense. In the event of a crash in league three, the traditional club will probably have to worry about its license.
Economically on the path to consolidation, but still in trouble because of the sporting crisis: FC Schalke is back in the black for the first time since 2018. As the second division football team, which is only two points away from the relegation zone, announced on Monday, the group result for the last calendar year was 6.9 million euros. Last year, the traditional club reported a loss of 19.4 million euros. Net financial liabilities fell from 139.9 million euros to 128.5 million euros. Compared to 2022, sales revenue increased from 157 to 168.3 million euros.
“We are very pleased that we were able to achieve our economic goals as planned under difficult conditions,” said Christina Rühl-Hamers, the board member responsible for finance. “The club has managed to improve important economic parameters.”
On the difficult path to the planned reduction of the high mountain of debt, Schalke is still bothered by legacy problems. In 2023, FC Schalke had to pay around 16 million euros for contractually agreed interest and repayment payments. “A look at the DFL financial report shows that many clubs from the 2nd league don’t even spend this amount on their licensed team,” commented Rühl-Hamers. According to the CFO, these costs make it difficult to invest in the “core business of football”.
CFO Christina Rühl-Hamers presented FC Schalke’s latest balance sheet on Monday
Source: dpa/Wolf von Dewitz
According to the club’s announcement, the negative equity, which was reduced to 103.3 million euros, must be reduced by at least another five percent this year. Otherwise, according to the DFL statutes, there is a risk of a deduction of three points. There are particularly great concerns about further relegation to the 3rd league. “We submitted the licensing documents for the 2nd and 3rd league on time on March 15th. As far as the third league plans are concerned, we expect that the provisional license will only be granted under conditions. However, we are convinced that we can stay in the league,” commented Rühl-Hamers.
Wilmots supports the coach
Despite the tense sporting situation, Karel Geraerts does not have to worry about his job for the second division team, which is threatened with relegation. “For me there is no coaching discussion. We made too many individual mistakes on the pitch, that’s not the coach’s fault. Starting from scratch again is not an issue for us,” said sports director Marc Wilmots one day after the 2-5 defeat by the 14th-place team. at Hertha BSC. “I’m relying on continuity, that’s the best thing for the club. It annoys me always trying to find someone to blame. That’s too easy.”
Schalke recently suffered a bitter defeat at Hertha BSC. Coach Karel Geraerts then seemed perplexed
Those: dpa/Soeren Stache
Geraerts, who was hired in October 2023, has not yet succeeded in leading the former Bundesliga club out of the danger zone. The relegation relegation place 16 is now only two points away.
