Cottbus, Germany - Fans of struggling Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus have rejected an offer from the players to refund their ticket costs following a 4-0 defeat at Schalke 04.

An open letter from the club's supporters club said the offer was an "utter mockery" and called instead for the team to repay their support by an improved performance on the pitch.

"We would rather see a reaction on the pitch. This is about how you wear our club's shirt," the letter said.

The club had said the players would refund the 600 fans who travelled to Gelsenkirchen for the match against Schalke on Friday evening. The money was to come from the players' kitty.

Cottbus, who are second to bottom, face leaders VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Coach Bojan Prasnikar told Tuesday's Lausitzer Rundschau daily: "We will be putting a lot of pressure on the team this week. Only results count." (dpa)