The morning after his side reached the last eight of the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Valencia, Schalke coach Felix Magath missed training yesterday amid reports he is set to be fired.
Goals either side of half-time by winger Jefferson Farfan and striker Mario Gavranovic sealed the Round of 16 home win as Schalke fought back after Valencia took an early lead through Ricardo Costa.
But despite having steered Schalke to the quarter-finals for only the third time in their history, Magath’s future at the club remains in serious doubt.
“We need to pull the emergency cord, totally independently from the Champions League,” Schalke chairman Clemens Toennies told German magazine Kicker.
“Things are ablaze at the club behind the scenes.”
In the build-up to Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory at the Veltins Arena, which sealed a 4-2 aggregate win, the German media was full of reports of Magath’s imminent departure.
Yesterday morning, Magath’s assistants Seppo Eichkorn and Bernd Hollerbach took training, which is not unusual after a big game, but Schalke’s players stayed tight-lipped on the subject.
“The team stood together and gave a good answer,” said captain Manuel Neuer.
Defender Benedikt Hoewedes admitted the media reports had not helped the Royal Blues.
“We couldn’t allow ourselves to be influenced by it, the timing wasn’t perfect for us.”
Magath’s star signing Raul, who joined Schalke on a free transfer last July, gave the biggest pointer towards Magath’s departure.
“Somebody has already made a decision,” said the Spaniard.
“But only at the season’s end. Now is not the moment to do things.”
Magath arrived after training began and left round midday, without making comment and stopped only briefly to pose for a few photos with fans.
According to the club, he will field questions during today’s press conference the day before Schalke face Eintracht Frankfurt.
It has been a terrible week for football managers in Germany with Bayern Munich announcing on Monday coach Louis van Gaal will leave at the end of the season.
On Tuesday, Hamburg coach Armin Veh announced he is also leaving his post in May and now the axe hangs over Magath.