Club not amused

Curious! Hackers “transfer” Neymar to Schalke

Neymar to Schalke? Hackers have succeeded in this "transfer coup".(Bild: AFP/APA/Miguel SCHINCARIOL)

Cult club Schalke 04 has once again become the victim of a hacker attack. This time, a social media channel of the Royal Blues reported a surprising transfer: "Neymar to Schalke", it said on Friday. It is certainly not difficult to expose this report as a fake - but the club is still annoyed, as it is not the first incident of this kind. 

For most Schalke fans, this post on their club's official X-channel probably only elicited a weary smile. Others may have been reminded of the traditional club's more glorious days, when Schalke lured Real legend Raul to the Bundesliga. 

Times that are long gone. The club now plays in the second division and even if Neymar's best footballing days seem to be behind him, anyone could debunk this report as a pipe dream. Even if the hackers went to the extra effort of creating a fake Neymar account and posting: "I'm now officially playing ten games in a row for Schalke." 

Not the first incident
The club's social media department reacted quickly and removed the message within a few minutes. "It is correct that there was another irregularity. It was deleted immediately," a spokesperson for the club confirmed to dpa. 

Annoyingly for Schalke, this is not an isolated incident. Just a few days ago, hackers shared advertisements for a cryptocurrency on the club's social media channels. "Sorry guys, now we've been hit too. #Hacker", the Schalke players tried to take it with humor at the time.