Schalke players may skip rest of season after ‘frightening’ attack by own fans
The situation is said to be open after players were attacked by a group of up to 600 supporters
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Schalke players may skip the rest of the Bundesliga season after the club’s relegation from the German top flight was met by “frightening” fan protests that saw the team attacked by its own supporters.
A Schalke executive, Peter Knabel, said the club would listen to its players and respect their individual decisions after up to 600 supporters gathered outside the Veltins Arena in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Footage on social media showed fans chasing players after they had got off the team bus, hours after the club’s first relegation from the Bundesliga since 1988.
German police confirmed supporters had also thrown eggs at the players and verbally abused them.
With four games of the season remaining, Knabel told German publication Sportschau that the situation remains open.
“I can live with every decision as long as that decision is within legal limits,” Knabel said. “We have to see how the lads are doing.”
Schalke’s relegation was confirmed following at 1-0 defeat at Arminia Beilefeld on Tuesday night, which left the club on 13 points from 30 games this season.
Fans waited for the team bus after the defeat and had asked to speak to the players, before the situation escalated.
A Schalke player told ESPN: “The events were frightening. We knew there would be response, but none of us expected this.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments