mobanmarketBerlin: German Bundesliga club Schalke has suspended chairman Clemens Toennies for three months following widespread condemnation of racist comments he made last week.
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The club’s five-strong ethics committee, in a statement late Tuesday, accused Toennies of having “violated the ban on discrimination contained in the club’s statutes” after a lengthy meeting in which Toennies had to explain himself.
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But the body dismissed the accusation of racism as “unfounded” and consequently spared him the heavier sanction of dismissing him.
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The 63-year-old has been sharply criticised for saying more power stations should be built in Africa, “then Africans would stop felling trees and producing children when it gets dark”.
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The billionaire businessman made the remark at a forum in the northwestern city of Paderborn on Thursday while criticising tax increases to fight climate change.
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On social media, numerous Schalke fans and former players demanded his resignation as chairman of the club’s supervisory board, while senior figures in German football and politics have condemned his comment.
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Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht called on the German Football Association (DFB) to “deal” with Toennies.
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“Racism must be loudly and clearly contradicted” at every opportunity,” the politician told the Funke media group.
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“Nowhere is integration as successful and quick to work as in sport – that must not be put at risk.”
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Toennies apologised for his “inappropriate” words on Sunday, insisting he backs Schalke’s values against “racism, discrimination and exclusion”.
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The comments are a distraction for Schalke, under new head coach David Wagner, who start their league season at Borussia Moenchengladbach on August 17.
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