German side Schalke officially cut ties with Gazprom in stand against Russia after invasion of Ukraine
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Updated 28/02/2022 at 11:16 GMT
German side Schalke have officially ended their partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom in reaction to the war in Ukraine. The company’s logo was removed from shirts last week, but the sponsorship deal has now come to an end, with the Bundesliga 2 club insisting it will not damage their finances.
Schalke replaced the Gazprom logo with the name of the club instead
Image credit: Getty Images
German club Schalke have cut ties with sponsors Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, following the invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, it was announced that the Bundesliga 2 side would no longer wear the company’s logo – but the partnership has now been cut completely.
At the weekend, lettering on the front of their shirts were covered up and replaced with 'Schalke 04'. Supporters who were wearing the kit also taped over the logo.
Gazprom is one of the world’s largest natural gas firms and it has close ties to the Russian government, given it is partly state-owned. The US has imposed sanctions on the company, but the UK has not yet followed suit.
There is pressure on UEFA to end its own sponsorship agreement with Gazprom, which is one of the principal partners for the Champions League. Reports at the weekend suggested European football’s governing body is currently working through the legal details, but that it will sever ties.
Schalke insist the move will not “affect the club’s financial capabilities” and that they hope to announce a new partner soon.
“The FC Schalke 04 managing board and supervisory board have come to the agreement to end the club’s partnership with GAZPROM prematurely.
“The club are currently in discussions with representatives of the current sponsor and further information will be released at a later date.”
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