Personae Non Gratae — Schalke 04
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Personae Non Gratae
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Dr. Markus Merk: God forgives, Schalke never do.
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Dr. Markus Merk: God forgives, Schalke never do. Quite a few Schalke supporters blame the referee from Kaiserslautern for the fact that “their” Schalke ended the 2001 title race only as “champions of hearts”. In their view, Merk allowed so much stoppage time in HSV versus Bayern that Munich still had enough time to score the equaliser that mattered. They especially resented the decisive indirect free-kick awarded for Tomas Ujfaluši’s back-pass to HSV keeper Matthias Schober – a Schalke youth product. For ten years, Merk stayed away from the Schalke arena. When he returned as a TV pundit in 2011, he was greeted with whistles, beer showers and thrown objects. Some idiots on Facebook demanded a lifetime stadium ban for him.
Felix Magath: the distant god-emperor. Former Germany intern...
Felix Magath: the distant god-emperor.
Felix Magath: the distant god-emperor. Former Germany international Felix Magath coached numerous Bundesliga clubs. He rescued Stuttgart and Frankfurt from relegation in 2000 and 2001, made Wolfsburg sensational champions in 2009, and then moved on to Gelsenkirchen. Many on Schalke thought success was now guaranteed. Magath then bought half the transfer market, bringing in 32 new players, among them men like Ali Karimi and Angelos Charisteas, whose presence even he might have struggled to explain. Initially, it worked: Schalke finished runners-up in 2010 and reached the Champions League. But in 2010/11 they made their worst start since 1967 – one win in the first ten matches – and the god-emperor, who effectively controlled himself as coach and manager, had to go. Schalke breathed out in relief.
Ulf Kirsten: Assauer’s favourite enemy. Leverkusen striker U...
Ulf Kirsten: Assauer’s favourite enemy.
Ulf Kirsten: Assauer’s favourite enemy. Leverkusen striker Ulf Kirsten was one of the deadliest scorers of the 1990s and a personified Schalke nightmare. In 18 Bundesliga matches against the Blues, “der Schwatte” scored ten times. Once, he did even more damage: in a 0–0 draw on 6 December 1997, he body-checked Thomas Linke so hard that Linke had to be carried off. Manager Rudi Assauer exploded in the tunnel afterwards. Christoph Daum cut in immediately, the argument became legendary, and the clip has lived on ever since.
Kevin Großkreutz: “Just wipe them out,” wrote the
Kevin Großkreutz: “Just wipe them out,” wrote the former Dortmunder in a post in April 2019. “You can do without Schalke for one year.” He followed up on Instagram: “Boys, shut them up on Saturday.” … “I can’t listen to all the big mouths online anymore.
Kevin Großkreutz: “Just wipe them out,” wrote the former Dortmunder in a post in April 2019. “You can do without Schalke for one year.” He followed up on Instagram: “Boys, shut them up on Saturday.” … “I can’t listen to all the big mouths online anymore. Everywhere I get tagged and insulted by those apes.” Alpha-Kevin from Dortmund and Schalke – a properly nasty feud, at least from Großkreutz’s side.
Personae Non Gratae — Update 2020–2026
Clemens Tonnies resigned as chairman of the supervisory board in June 2020 — after the racism scandal that had begun in 2019.
Clemens Tonnies resigned as chairman of the supervisory
Clemens Tonnies resigned as chairman of the supervisory board in June 2020 — after the racism scandal that had begun in 2019.
Clemens Tonnies resigned as chairman of the supervisory board in June 2020 — after the racism scandal that had begun in 2019. At a “Day of Crafts” event, Tonnies had made racist remarks about Africans, sparking outrage. The meat magnate, who had led the club’s supervisory board since 2001, left Schalke under memorable circumstances.
Christian Gross was appointed coach in December 2020
Christian Gross was appointed coach in December 2020 — the supposed saviour in the greatest hour of need.
Christian Gross was appointed coach in December 2020 — the supposed saviour in the greatest hour of need. The Swiss manager, once successful at FC Basel and Tottenham Hotspur, seemed like a foreign body in Gelsenkirchen from the very beginning. At his unveiling, with a suitcase full of ideas, he looked awkward. Three months and four wins in 14 matches later, it was over. The spell remains in memory as one of the strangest coaching appointments in Bundesliga history.