Friday, May 7th, 2021
Players make a strong statement
Schalke does not shrink from hatred
The footballers of FC Schalke 04 still have three games to play before they have to say goodbye to the 1st Bundesliga. And all professionals are ready to go along these last few meters of farewell. After the night of the riot on April 21, this cannot be taken for granted.
At FC Schalke 04 they are talking about football again. And that’s good news. Because the professionals and the coaches of the Gelsenkirchen Bundesliga club have shaken off such a topic that they recently stirred up a lot: the completely unacceptable attacks by some fans on the night of April 21. After the bankruptcy of Arminia Bielefeld, which finally sealed Schalke’s relegation from the Bundesliga after a very long ordeal, violent attacks occurred on their return to the home arena.
Videos distributed on the Internet even showed scenes of a hunt. In messages that were distributed via Whatsapp, some of those involved are said to have been downright euphoric about their actions. It was actually a night of shame at Schalke.
“It took us a week to process that,” says coach Dimitrios Grammozis before the game on Saturday (3.30 p.m. on Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. “We couldn’t just go back to business. But after a week we tried to turn around again. I’m glad that we can now concentrate on football again.”
It was a night that resonated. A night that could have had huge consequences. Because the new sports director of the club, Peter Knäbel, had left the footballers up to whether they want to appear again for “Royal Blue” after the escalation. Now that the first game after relegation is due – in between the game against Hertha BSC was canceled due to several corona cases in Berlin – it is clear: No player is withdrawing. It is a remarkable and by no means a self-evident sign of solidarity with the association. It is also a sign that the players are still responsible for what they have asked the club to do for a year and a half.
“You can imagine that the guys were very upset after what happened. But I can confirm 100 percent that nobody came to us to say that they don’t want to play. Everyone is motivated, everyone is giving full throttle”, said Grammozis. The coach was also a victim of the attacks: “Like others, I also got something. But I don’t take it personally. The people who were there are not representative of Schalke 04,” he commented.
Grammozis doesn’t say who plays this weekend. Of course not. Who does that anyway? But it gives at least a little insight into the current difficult situation – and into the whole whispering around the installation. “We have to make sure that we don’t give anything away in the last three games.” He doesn’t just want to rely on the professionals who will still play a role in the coming second division season at FC Schalke: “Everyone has their own opinion. One says, now you have to let the youngsters play the next season definitely there. The other says give the guys a platform to sell. We have to find a good mix. “
There was at least one in the first leg. That went 4-0 (!) To Schalke. It was one of only two wins that season. Incidentally, it was the victory that prevented the Gelsenkirchen team from setting the sad and historic negative record of Berlin’s Tasmania.
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