S04 supervisory board chairman open to support from Tönnies
Schalke's supervisory board chairman Axel Hefer has shown himself open to support from former club boss Clemens Tönnies. "If Clemens Tönnies is interested in supporting us on our path, he can approach me at any time. So far, he has not signaled any offer of support to me," the 46-year-old told "Kicker" (Monday). Meat entrepreneur Tönnies was chairman of the supervisory board of the current second-division soccer club from 2001 to 2020.
However, Hefer is also critical of this period in office. "He was responsible for very successful times, but also the phase that led to the complete collapse in 2021 - essentially because more money was spent than was earned over a longer period of time," he said. "This debt will be with us for several years to come. I understand that we long for the successful sporting times, but we must not forget that the club lived beyond its means at times. Our approach is different."
Schalke was relegated from the Bundesliga in 2021. Although the traditional club was promoted again in 2022, it had to return to the second tier last summer. Recently, there have been repeated calls for the 67-year-old Tönnies to come to the rescue. Tönnies himself had recently ruled out a return to a role at the Revierclub, but said that he had offered to help on several occasions.
Despite Schalke's recent struggles in Bundesliga 2, the supervisory board chairman Axel Hefer has indicated that former club boss Clemens Tönnies is welcome to offer support to FC Schalke 04 if he so desires. Notably, Tönnies served as the chairman of Schalke's supervisory board from 2001 to 2020, during which the club experienced both prosperous and challenging times in Bundesliga 2.
Source: www.dpa.com
