Schalke shut the door on Tönnies despite financial woes

Despite the sporting and financial crisis facing Bundesliga side Schalke, the club have refused an offer of help from ex-supervisory board chairman Clemens Tönnies. No other person divides the club like the 64-year-old.

Schalke's status is akin to a religion among many of its numerous fans and members: once a Schalke fan, always a Schalke fan – converting is not possible.

However, the Schalke community recently had to wrestle with a question of faith: Should former supervisory board chairman Clemens Tönnies be allowed to jump to the club's aid again and provide money for new signings during the winter break?

Die Königsblauen's coffers are empty - and new money flowing into the club isn't foreseeable in the near future. Furthermore, existing debt of €240 million ($295 million) and the interest burden that comes with it are squeezing and paralyzing the club.

So money has to come from somewhere quickly in order to somehow prevent a total collapse and relegation from the Bundesliga. After all, questions may also be raised as to whether Schalke would even be granted a license in the Bundesliga 2, given its financial liabilities. But, on Thursday, the club rejected Tönnies' offer of assistance. Tönnies' helping hand

In his more than 25 years as a member of the Schalke supervisory board and as the longstanding chairman, businessman Tönnies has frequently stepped in as a lender. And the 64-year-old recently said. "I will not let the club of my heart go under," before his offer was rejected.

The billionaire from RhedaWiedenbrück in eastern Westphalia has already lent the club several million euros on multiple occasions - and had them pay him good interest too. Whenever Schalke needed money that would have been difficult to obtain with new bank loans, Tönnies was there.

The meat-processing mogul acted like an internal bank for the Royal Blues and plugged the biggest financial holes at short notice. Fans and members repeatedly directed criticism at Tönnies in the context

of the entrepreneur exploiting the club's plight to enrich himself. Never was he a patron saint who simply gave money to his favorite club. Since last summer though, everything has changed.

Emancipation from Tönnies tricky

Tönnies is no longer in office; a fan uprising prompted him to resign. His racist remarks during a speech, as well as the COVID-19 outbreak at one of his meat

Schalke have had to release top players like Weston McKennie to help balance the books