Monday, February 28, 2022 at 11:52• Jordi Tomasowa • Last update: 11:54

Schalke 04 has chosen to prematurely end its collaboration with main sponsor Gazprom, so to report the Königsblauen through a statement via their own club channels. The management and supervisory board of Schalke 04 are currently in talks with representatives of the Russian natural gas company. The reason is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, the German club already decided to remove the name of Gazprom from the competition shirt.

Schalke 04 said in the statement that its financial strength will not be affected by the break with Gazprom and that the management of the club is confident that a new main sponsor will be found in the near future. The Russian natural gas company has been the main lender of the German second division for years.

Schalke 04 reported on Thursday that the logo and name of the Russian main sponsor Gazprom disappeared from the football shirts and for the time being only the club name would adorn the match kit. “This choice was made after talks between Schalke and Gazprom Germania took place,” the statement said at the time.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that UEFA is also looking at legal options to terminate the sponsorship contract with Gazprom early. The Russian natural gas company sponsors the European Football Association annually with approximately forty million euros, but if it is up to UEFA, the current three-year contract will be torn apart. UEFA has already moved the Champions League final this season from Saint Petersburg to Paris. The European Football Association moves the final battle to the Stade de France. The time of the match remains unchanged.