Warning removed
©IMAGO
FC Schalke 04 and goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann part ways at the end of the season. The expiring contract will “not be extended under any circumstances”, the Royal Blues board confirmed in a statement on Thursday evening. This is the culmination of a public smear between the two camps.
Fährmann was transferred to the U23s at the start of training. At the beginning of October, an interview given to “Sport Bild”, carried out without the club’s knowledge, marked the start of the dispute. From Schalke’s point of view, this constituted a violation of contractual employment agreements, for which Fährmann was warned. The players defended themselves legally.
In the following weeks, repeated information about Fährmann’s situation was published in the magazine and newspaper « Bild », which contained information that could only be known to those involved in the confidential discussions. The minors stressed that no content was transmitted by the club. Attempts to resolve the situation constructively and without publicity – for example with Fährmann’s lawyer – failed.
Schalke withdraws warning against Fährmann
“The club made a total of four offers for discussion, none of which were accepted. Instead, a targeted approach is sought from the public and an attempt is made to further aggravate the situation. A style that his agent has already practiced at Schalke and other clubs and which is definitely not in the spirit of FC Schalke 04″, we can read in the press release. « We understand that there is no will not have an amicable solution Instead, there is a risk of further damage to Schalke 04 in a public hearing due to the closeness of Ralf Fährmann and his entourage to Sport Bild, a slander is to be expected. foresee In order to avoid this, the club will refrain from taking further action and will also withdraw the issued warning.
They wanted a different farewell for the long-time best player. “At the first meeting we promised options such as a farewell game. However, the behavior of Ralf Fährmann does not allow any further decisions in the interests of Schalke 04. If there is further information in Sport Bild following this statement, and this is normal, the club will no longer make comments on this subject. There are, and this cannot be denied, more important issues that we need to worry about,” he continues. « Even though Ralf Fährmann says he still believes he is Schalke’s best goalkeeper, he will not play another game for the Royal Blue. »
At the age of 14, Fährmann joined FC Schalke 04 in 2003 and made his professional debut five years later. After a two-year interlude at Eintracht Frankfurt, he returned in 2011 to the Royal Blues, for whom he appeared 289 times between the posts, something only Norbert Nigbur and Jens Lehmann can beat in a comparison of all goalkeepers in the S04. Last September, Fährmann injured his knee during training and only returned to the field two weeks ago.
