“These events and their magnitude have affected us to an even greater extent as they are happening in our own backyard,” declared Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO. “The most important thing now is to help each other quickly and without bureaucracy. We are in constant contact with the City of Leverkusen, Bayer AG and our fans who have already been involved in and around Leverkusen for days.”
One of the first decisions taken: Bayer 04 will support the ‘Leverkusen hilft!’ (Leverkusen helps) campaign organised by a community forum in the City of Leverkusen with emergency aid in the form of a donation. Bayer 04 have supported the foundation in a number of community projects over the years.
In addition, Bayer 04 will support our fans via the club media channels, make the fan house in Leverkusen-Wiesdorf available for logistic purposes and directly help affected members of staff.
How you can help:
Neighbours, friends and family, the whole city need help to overcome this exceptional situation. Anyone wanting to help can get in touch via the mobile number 0049 (0)157 3825 0521 or via e-mail at hilfe@ultras-leverkusen.de. There is also a Telegram group where requests for and offers of support can be submitted - HERE is the link to the group. Up-to-date information on the current situation in Leverkusen is available at www.leverkusen.de.
Donations can be made at:
Donations account: DE40 3755 1440 0100 1262 26
Reference: Leverkusen hilft
Bayer 04 thank everybody providing help!
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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