Schalke were relegated from the Bundesliga on Tuesday evening after a 1-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld.
They will play in Germany’s second tier next season for the first time in 33 years.
It has been a torrid season for the club, who have won just twice in the Bundesliga all season.
They sit 18th and bottom of the Bundesliga having picked up just 13 points from 30 games. The side have conceded 76 league goals in the process.
Die Knappen have also gone through five managers this campaign. The current incumbent of the hot seat, Dimitrios Grammozis, has won one and drawn one of his seven games in charge so far.
After the defeat to Bielefeld, the players were confronted by a group of the club’s ultras upon their return to Gelsenkirchen.
And shocking footage posted on Twitter showed players being chased by the ultras.
Schalke’s response
Schalke issued a strong statement after the incident. They condemned the behaviour of the individuals involved in confronting and chasing the players.
The club also confirmed that an investigation was underway.
The statement read: “There was a brief exchange between the players and some groups of fans after returning from Bielefeld in the early hours of Wednesday morning (21/04).
“During the course of the encounter, some currently unidentified individuals overstepped boundaries that are non-negotiable for FC Schalke 04.
“Despite the understandable frustration and anger with our relegation to the Bundesliga 2, the club can never accept the physical endangerment of our players and staff. That is exactly what occurred during last night’s confrontation.
“The club strongly condemns this behaviour and stands behind our staff.
“An investigation into the incident is already underway.”
Schalke are next in action on May 8, when they travel to Hoffenheim.
They then conclude the season with fixtures against Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Koln.
Featured Image Credit: Getty