This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
Published on August 8, 2019, Schalke chairman Clemens Toennies has stepped down for three months following widespread condemnation of his alleged 'racist' comments.
German Bundesliga club Schalke's five-strong ethics committee stated that Toennies had 'violated the ban on discrimination contained in the club's statutes' after a lengthy meeting.
However, the committee dismissed the accusation of racism as 'unfounded' and avoided the heavier sanction of firing him.
Toennies, a 63-year-old billionaire businessman, made the remark at a forum in Paderborn last Thursday while criticising tax increases to fight climate change.
He said more power stations should be built in Africa, 'then Africans would stop felling trees and producing children when it gets dark.'
On social media, numerous Schalke fans demanded Toennies' resignation, while senior figures in German football and politics have condemned his comment.
Former Schalke forward Gerald Asamoah, one of Germany's first black internationals, said he was left 'somewhat speechless' by Toennies' remark.
