Schalke remove logo of Russian state-owned sponsor Gazprom from their shirts

Bundesliga club Schalke have removed the logo of sponsors Gazprom from their shirts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while there is growing pressure on UEFA to cut ties with the energy giant.

Russian state-owned Gazprom have been Schalke’s main sponsor for the past 15 years, starting back in 2007, while the company is also one of UEFA’s biggest sponsors with a deal worth a reported €40million (£33.4m) per year.

Schalke have come under pressure to end their relationship with the company following the situation in Ukraine and German newspaper Bild have already been covering up the logo with a ‘Freedom for Ukraine’ message.

Now the Bundesliga side, one of the most popular clubs in Germany, have removed the Gazprom logo from their shirts and are set to review their relationship with the Russian company.

A statement on Thursday read: ‘Following recent developments and escalation, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor Gazprom from the club’s shirts.

‘It will be replaced by lettering reading ‘Schalke 04’ instead.’

The club added: ‘The association will inform you about further possible steps in due course.’

The news comes after board member Matthias Warnig stepped down from his position, having been appointed as a representative of Gazprom on the club’s supervisory board since July 2019.

Ex-Stasi officer Warnig was also a managing director for Nord Stream 2 – which the German government has halted approval of – while German broadcaster Deutsche Welle claims he is the oldest German friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

UEFA have called an emergency summit on Friday when they are expected to strip St Petersburg of this season’s Champions League final, though many critics feel the governing body’s relationship with Gazprom must also be addressed.

A letter sent to UEFA from a group of politicians in the European parliament said: ‘We call on you to stop considering St Petersburg and other Russian cities as venues for international football competitions and to choose as a first and very urgent step an alternative venue for the Champions League final on May 28, 2022.

‘In addition, we appeal to you to convene a special meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee, to terminate cooperation with Gazprom as UEFA sponsor and to consider sanctions against individual Russian officials who are complicit in the violation of international law.’

Gazprom ads were shown throughout BT Sport’s coverage of the Champions League this week, with the broadcaster saying: ‘As part of our UEFA contract we are obliged to show the UEFA Champions League bumpers, which are provided to us by UEFA to include in our broadcast.’

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