Cologne -
The ten-year service anniversary surprised the FC-staff on Tuesday the manager Claus Horstmann in the great hall of the goat home.
His colleague, manager Michael Meier thanked the chief financial officer, in his eulogy for his work and for the FC kept the faith even in difficult times "to have.
The times might not be better - and that although the performance of the season 2008/09 auswies an increase of 300,000 €. For, in truth, wrote the FC deep red numbers - about seven million minus €!
The goat in the most recent published annual balance sheet of the first echo FC Cologne shows KGaA: When opening up sources of money put Horstmann and his financiers that creativity in the day, one would wish the FC is currently in the field.
To raise the ex-coach Christoph Daum contractually guaranteed millions for investments, namely the club had to fiddle quite a bit.
And it went like this: The FC "sold" the catering rights at FC events to the agreement own daughter "restaurants GmbH". Flowed for seven million euros, which started the LLC as a loan from a bank. "With the additional financial leeway could be improved squad of players," it says this in the balance sheet.
"This is a normal process. The whole business has indeed a real value - otherwise we would get safely in the world financial crisis is not such a loan, "said Horstmann. "We have always said that we invest in the squad players can not afford from the operating business. Also in this season. "
The result: future revenue were made to money to lure stars like to Petit, Pedro Geromel and Manasseh Ishiaku to FC. Sounds a bit light for Schalke.
And the situation has not changed: the FC really had no money for the obligation of Lukas Podolski and hoped to external partners. But apart from SolarWorld CEO Frank Asbeck and REWE helped no one with - the FC also had to borrow here.
The Maniche-duty, the salary increases of Geromel, Mohamad and Milivoje Novakovic - the margin of Meier manager is always close.
In order to fund the much-needed reinforcements to the full back positions and the right wing can, therefore new money is needed.
Hopefully, that Horstmann not go out in his second decade at FC on the tricks and ideas. In the case of a further decline - this much is clear - but would also benefit the few.
