Schalke chairman quits after winless run and coronavirus cases

chairman of German soccer club Schalke stepped down Tuesday after bowing to increasing pressure following a huge outbreak of coronavirus infections at one of his company's slaughterhouses.

Schalke fans h been calling for 64-year-old billionaire Clemens Tnnies's resignation since he me racist comments about Africans at a public meeting in Perborn last August.

Tnnies leaves after 26 years on board of Bundesliga club and 19 as chairman.

On Saturday, up to 1,500 Schalke supporters formed a socially distanced human chain near club's stium to protest against its manment as team slumped to a 4-0 loss to Freiburg. result extended club's longest Bundesliga run without a win to 16 games.

But outbreak of about 1,400 cases of COVID-19 at Tnnies Group's slaughterhouse in his hometown of Rheda-Wiedenbrck was main reason for fans' anger. 

outbreak led to a spike of cases in western state of rth Rhine-Westphalia, leing to lockdowns in local counties where mostly Eastern European slaughterhouse workers lived. It also placed a spotlight on ir often dire workplace and living conditions.

Banners with messs including " exploitation at Schalke  Tnnies out!" and " racists at Schalke!" were displayed by fans on Saturday.

"We think club needs a complete new start to make Schalke 04, Schalke 04 again," said Sven Schneider, chairman of fan club against racism and discrimination.

In a statement, Schalke and some of its board members praised Tnnies for his passion for club and his role in developing stium and youth facilities.

y me mention of why he was stepping down, r was re any hint of criticism for ir former chairman.

"We kw how difficult it was for him to make this decision, so it deserves our utmost respect," board members Alexander Jobst and Jochen Schneider said.

Vice chairman Jens Buchta said club "very much regrets Clemens Tnnies' decision." 

Schalke h alrey postponed a news conference from Monday to Wednesday. It was supposed to reflect on a season that started promisingly under coach David Wagner before ending in farce.

Schalke's fall began with a 5-0 loss at eventual champion Bayern Munich in January. team did t win a game since, finishing in 12th place in 18-team division. 

Im credits: AP