Schalke 04 have just officially ended their sponsorship deal with Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom after Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

The 2. Bundesliga side announced last week that they would be removing all Gazprom branding from their shirts in response - with the sponsor replaced by lettering reading ‘Schalke 04’ instead. Now, the club have announced that they have brought an end to their 15-year partnership which dates back to 2008.

"The FC Schalke 04 managing board and supervisory board have come to the agreement to end the club’s partnership with Gazprom prematurely," a statement from the club said on Monday.

"The club are currently in discussions with representatives of the current sponsor and further information will be released at a later date."

All Gazprom branding had now been removed from Schalke players' shirts for the Gelsenkirchen side's game with Karlsruhe at the weekend, while supporters at the game had also taped over the company's logo on their own replica shirts.

UEFA are now also under pressure to severe ties with the Russian energy company, having already decided to move the Champions League final away from St Petersburg to the Stade de France in Paris.

UEFA's sponsorship deal with Gazprom can be traced back to 2012 when the latter first became an official partner, with the company spending approximately £34-million per-year backing UEFA's various competitions.

The move would result in no Gazprom advertisement boards being displayed at stadiums and no television advertisements on match days.