Sporting director Rudi Völler did not take long to think about helping OFC and he was happy to give the green light to the friendly. All profits from the match will go to the hosts. Rudi Völler started his professional career at Bieberer Berg in 1977 after signing for OFC from TSV Hanau as a 15-year-old in 1975 and he still maintains a connection with the club. “I was always a Kickers fan. I used to cheer on Erwin Kostedde when I was a teenager,” said Völler.
A very special link
The relationship between Bayer 04 and Offenbacher Kickers is not only very special because of Rudi Völler. The supporters of both clubs have a fan friendship dating back 35 years. The origins of this very close link between OFC and Bayer 04 date back to the 1980s. The two teams met in the DFB Cup in October 1981 with OFC winning 5-2. Shortly after that, the Offenbach fans joined forces with Bayer 04 supporters against fans of rivals Eintracht Frankfurt who were very unpopular with the OFC faithful.
That link has continued up to now. Since then, fan representatives of both clubs have visited each other. In 2012 the Werkself took part in the official opening fixture at the new Sparda Bank Hessen Stadium. And there are also very friendly exchanges between the two clubs on social media platforms. There are constant mutually friendly posts on Twitter. The hashtag #BayerundderOFC is often used.
Get your tickets now
Tickets for the benefit game are available from the OFC fan shop, the ticket hotline on 0049 (0)1803 019010 as well as from OFC ticket outlets (a list of ticket outlets is available at https://www.lms-ticket.de/ofc/ajax.aspx/text2.html).
We celebrate a fan friendship fest
The idea came about to close the visitors’ section for this match to allow Leverkusen fans to mix with home support in the Kickers home blocks to celebrate the 35-year-old fan friendship. In keeping with the motto: “We are celebrating a fan friendship fest.”
The match is a great event bringing benefits to OFC and the unusual fan friendship. OFC invites all Bayer 04 fans to enjoy this special match alongside the Kickers fans. The visitors’ stand (blocks 14 to 17) remains closed on this night to celebrate the 35-year-old fan friendship! There are no opponents in this match on the pitch or in the stands. The main, Henninger and the Waldemar Klein stands are open.
Nationwide stadium bans apply
Please note: As announced by OFC on their website, nationwide stadium bans apply on Tuesday night.
“In general, nationwide stadium bans apply for all friendly fixtures. This applies to home and away games. Anyone attending friendly fixtures subject to a current stadium ban is liable to the same legal consequences as attending a competitive fixture. We therefore ask fans to heed this advice.”
The Werkself need a win in their penultimate match of the season at RB Leipzig on Monday evening (18:00 CEST) to keep their hopes of third place alive until the final day. After Eintracht Frankfurt lost on Saturday, Roberto Pätzold's side can close the gap on their rivals to two points and leave it all to play for next Sunday.
Show more
Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-3 loss at VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 33 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
Show more
Down to fifth from fourth place despite taking an early lead: in the head-to-head for a Champions League spot, Bayer 04 were 1-0 up at VfB Stuttgart with just a minute played thanks to an Aleix Garcia strike, but ultimately lost 3-1 (2-1) to the more determined hosts. It meant the Swabians leapfrogged the Werkself in the Bundesliga table on the penultimate matchday.
Show more
Today sees Bayer 04 go head-to-head with their next direct rivals in the race for Champions League qualification (kick-off 15:30 CEST). Opponents Stuttgart are currently fifth in the table, level on points with the Werkself but one place below them due to a three-goal inferior goal difference. The Black and Reds' record at Bad Cannstatt tells a clearer story: they've not lost at VfB for over 16 years. One important factor in securing what would be three crucial points away from home is Leverkusen's strength on the counter-attack. Whilst Stuttgart are also extremely dangerous going forward, they will be without their captain. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
