Schalke coach Felix Magath missed training on Thursday amid reports he is set to be fired, despite last night’s 3-1 Champions League win over Valencia.
The win ensured Schalke are through to the quarter-finals for only the third time in their history, but Magath’s future at the club remains in doubt.
“We need to pull the emergency cord, totally independently from the Champions League,” Schalke chairman Clemens Toennies told Kicker.
“Things are ablaze at the club behind the scenes.”
In the build-up to Wednesday night’s victory at the Veltins Arena, which sealed a 4-2 aggregate win, the German media reported of Magath’s imminent departure, but the coach insisted his job was safe.
“It’s not interesting for me what the papers say,” he said on Wednesday.
“I have a contract until 2013.”
On Thursday morning, 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, the coach speak to the media during Friday’s press conference the day before Schalke face Eintracht Frankfurt.
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