Schalke 04 is having a mixed year in 2021. While the team ranks at least 6th out of 10 in League of Legends, the football team is not faring well. This could spell trouble for the LoL pros as well.
Update: Schalke has since commented on the rumors. In a statement on Discord, it says:
We are currently evaluating various options that the club can take depending on the circumstances it finds itself in at the end of this Bundesliga season. This includes, among other things, selling the LEC slot to an interested buyer.
However, no decision has been made yet, and even if the club is relegated, we don’t necessarily have to sell.
What is going on? Schalke 04 is one of several football clubs in Germany that are also active in e-sports. The club has professionals in FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer, and two teams in League of Legends.
However, the LoL pros might face problems in the future, as the French site L’Équipe – in German “The Team” – reports. Due to poor performance in the football Bundesliga, Schalke 04 needs to cut costs. They are currently threatened with relegation to the second division, with significant debts.
Maintaining a team in the highest European league, the LEC, costs money. And that might need to be saved in the future.
Starting Spot in the LEC Could Be Sold for 20 Million Euros
What does the report say? To bring a team into the European LEC, you now have to buy a starting spot from another organization. There is no classic promotion and relegation.
According to L’Équipe, Schalke 04 bought a starting spot for 8 million euros. The value is now said to be up to 20 million. Money that the club might need, which is reported to be over 200 million euros in debt according to ESPN.
The report also states that interest in the LoL league has increased, but due to corona, many e-sports teams have reportedly lost several hundred thousand euros. A reason for this is the lack of ticket sales.
Within Schalke 04’s management, it has already been mentioned that a sale might soon be necessary for economic reasons. However, they hope to be able to prevent this (via Dotesports).
How is the football team doing? Currently, Schalke 04 is at the bottom of the table. With only 9 points, not only relegation is threatening, but a real debacle.
There are ongoing reports in the media about how bad things are for the club and how many professionals could leave immediately if relegation occurs. The situation in football is anything but rosy.
How is Schalke performing in e-sports? In the virtual Bundesliga in FIFA 21, Schalke is only faring slightly better. Here, the team is ranked 12th out of 13, with only Eintracht Braunschweig performing worse (via Virtual Bundesliga).
In League of Legends, however, things are looking slightly better. With 5 wins and 6 losses, the team is currently in 6th place out of 10 with chances of making it into playoffs and even 3rd place. However, they have recently suffered 4 consecutive losses.
The team largely still consists of the players who achieved a small miracle in 2020. In the “Miracle Run”, they made it to the playoffs after 11 losses and from a nearly impossible position:
Schalke wins 7 games in a row in LoL, truly achieving the miracle.
Furthermore, the club still has the Schalke 04 Evolution team in the Prime League, a regional league for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They are currently in 4th place out of 10 and even won the Summer Split last year.
