Despite majority vote, Schalke cannot accept Tönnies financial assistance
Schalke's supervisory board voted 9-2 in favor of accepting emergency financial aid of former chairman Clemens Tönnies. This mattered not, however, as the Ruhrpott meat magnate attached the condition of unanimous approval to any monetary aid.
With club debts pushing €240 million, ousted Chairman Clemens Tönnies reportedly made a tangible offer to assist the organization he chaired for nearly two decades. German footballing magazine Kicker, which also provides a most inhospitable commentary on the former club bigwig, reports that a late Wednesday 9-2 vote in favor of accepting extra millions offered to club to assist with extra signings in the transfer window proved insufficient.
Tönnies' offer apparently made for little other than a symbolic gesture. The 64-year-old did not wish to appear as if he abandoned his longtime club during its time of dire need. He nevertheless must have known that Schalke's supervisory board would not approve of his aid package unanimously. Furthermore, even if all eleven board members had approved the measure, the Board of Management would have to have signed off on the measure as well. It remains unlikely that Jochen Schneider and Alexander Jobst would have done so.
In an editorial appearing on Kicker's website, footballing journalist Toni Lieto argues that Tönnies plotted a deliberate public relations revenge of sorts. Lieto notes that there would have been innumerable other ways for Tönnies to provide his former organization with a cash injection. The move seemed geared towards making the controversial former leader appear selfless and Schalke stubborn.
In any event, Schalke must proceed with its original plan of selling off high-value assets in order to procure fresh reinforcements for the current relegation fight.