Schalke 04 relieve head coach Thomas Reis of his duties with immediate effect

“Following our comeback win against Magdeburg we had expected to see further progress away against FC St. Pauli. Instead, we witnessed another step in the wrong direction,” explained Peter Knäbel, board member for sport. “We’ve used these past few days to discuss things and came to the conclusion that this step needed to be taken for the good of the club. Our aim is to buck the negative trend that has developed since the start of the season.”

“We did everything we could, together with Thomas Reis, in order to work our way out of this slump. However, following internal discussions over the past days, we were not convinced that we would be able to prevent the recent dip in form from continuing in order to achieve success in the short- to mid-term. As a result, we have decided to pursue a different path,” said André Hechelmann, sporting director of S04.

The club would like to thank Thomas Reis for his efforts. “Thomas decided to join FC Schalke 04 a year ago, during a tough period for the club. The emotional journey we went through during the second half of last season will remain unforgettable, despite our eventual relegation. We would like to wish Thomas all the best for the future, both professionally and personally.“

The management team remain focused on the upcoming matches. „Our joint aim is to go into the next international break with a positive feeling,“ said Hechelmann. „We have full confidence in Matthias Kreutzer and we will give him all the support he needs. At the same time, we are also working on finding a successor.“