Schalke jerseys in demand as club drops Russian sponsor

Demand for shirts of German club Schalke went up Monday, the same day the second-division team dropped Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom as its main sponsor.

Karlsruhe's Tim Breithaupt, left, and Schalke's Florian Flick fight for the ball during the 2. Bundesliga match between Karlsruher SC and FC Schalke 04 in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 . The Schalke team taped over the logo of main sponsor Gazprom on the jerseys due to the Russian war in Ukraine. (Uli Deck/dpa via AP)

Sporting sanctions against Russia have led to a run on soccer jerseys in the city of Gelsenkirchen.

Demand for shirts of German club Schalke went up Monday, the same day the second-division team dropped Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom as its main sponsor. Fans have been scrambling to buy a version of the shirt without the Gazprom name and logo on it.

“Due to the high demand for the special jersey, the online shop is currently reaching its limits,” Schalke wrote on Twitter, appealing to fans for patience.

#InfoTweet: Aufgrund der hohen Nachfrage nach dem Sondertrikot stößt der Online-Shop aktuell an seine Grenzen. Wir bitten euch um etwas Geduld. #S04 https://t.co/dt8X3dmIVd

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) February 28, 2022

Last Tuesday, Schalke expressed “great concern” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Then on Thursday, the club said it was removing Gazprom’s logo from its jerseys. The team wore jerseys with “Schalke 04” on the front on Saturday for its 1-1 draw at Karlsruher SC.

Der Vorstand des FC Schalke 04 hat mit Zustimmung des Aufsichtsrates beschlossen, die Partnerschaft zwischen dem #S04 und #GAZPROM vorzeitig zu beenden.

Weitere Infos folgen in Kürze. pic.twitter.com/0Xk3TLty0I

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) February 28, 2022

On Sunday, Schalke said the special jerseys without Gazprom’s name would be available Monday from its online story.

Also Monday, the club said talks were ongoing with Gazprom but that its management had decided to end their 15-year partnership “ahead of time.”

“The club’s financial ability to operate remains unaffected by this decision,” Schalke said in a statement. “The club’s management is confident of being able to present a new partner in the near future.”

Schalke, which was relegated from the Bundesliga last year, has had Gazprom as its main sponsor since 2007.