Schalke accept immediate financial help from Tönnies subsidiary
Nearly three weeks after FC Schalke 04's supervisory board prevented the club from accepting emergency financial assistance from disgraced former president Clemens Tönnies, the organization found another way to secure a cash injection.
Schalke have upwards of €6 million to use during the final days of the transfer window.
Schalke have upwards of €6 million to use during the final days of the transfer window.
| Clemens Tönnies. | Photo: Susanne Freitag (susi@fotodesignfreitag.de), Tönnies Holding ApS Co & KG per OTRS |
Club executives announced two new sponsorship deals on Tuesday. Two companies are involved. Gelsenkirchen-based cleaning and security service group Stölting and sausage producer Böklunder have agreed upon extensions to the current arrangements with Schalke. The two new deals translate to an additional €6 million for the club's immediate use.
The latter firm is a subsidiary of Tönnies' meat-packing holdings. Josef Schnusenberg, Tonnies' current tax advisor, sits on the management board of the former. The majority of German media sources treat these deals as camouflaged aid from the 64-year-old former chairmen; albeit in the form of a relatively modest package that comes without any restrictive stipulations.
Board member Alexander Jobst didn't necessary make any attempts to disguise this. He reminded the board that any sum of money not attached to "any additional obligations or preconditions" must be subject to immediate approval.
The immediately dispensed cash can now be used for Schalke to make one final splash on the transfer market.
