The news on Tuesday has affected the world of football in Germany: The German Football Association (DFB) announced the decision of Germany coach Joachim ‘Jogi’ Löw, to step down in the summer after the European Championships. The 61-year-old asked for his contract to 2022 to be terminated early following the tournament.
“I take this step very consciously, full of pride and enormous gratitude, but at the same time I continue to be fully motivated when it comes to the European Championship tournament,” said Löw. Born in the Black Forest, he became Germany assistant coach in 2004 and then took over from Jürgen Klinsmann as the national coach after the 2006 World Cup. In 2014, he led Germany to their fourth World Cup title in Brazil. In addition, he reached the semi-finals of the Euros three times and the the final in 2008. Löw is currently the longest-serving national coach in the world.
Like many other greats of German football, Rudi Völler, 1990 World Cup winner, responded to the national coach stepping down. The Bayer 04 sporting managing director: “Jogi Löw’s decision deserves respect. His teams produced great football at a lot of different tournaments and and he made a great contribution to German sport by winning the 2014 World Cup. Now Jogi has the chance to be relaxed going into the Euros in the summer and celebrate a wonderful farewell. We’ve all got our fingers crossed for him.”
The Werkself have eight days to recover after the 1-0 win at Mönchengladbach and then prepare intensively for the forthcoming Bundesliga home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday, 14 February (kick-off: 13.30 CET). The team from Eastern Westphalia have a rearranged game on Wednesday, 10 March. At 18.30 CET the team under new head coach Frank Kramer (formerly at Fürth and Düsseldorf) entertain Werder Bremen. The original fixture at the start of February fell victim to the heavy winter weather in central Germany.
After 15 years of economic growth, German professional football suffered a downturn for the first time, as expected, in the 2019/20 season. The reason for this development are the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the final quarter of the season. The turnover of the 36 professional clubs sank by 300 million euros compared with the previous season. This information comes from the latest economic report from the German Football League DFL.
In 2018/19, the first and divisions clubs set the record to date with 4.8 billion euros. An even bigger decline is expected this season. Above all, the missing gate money is a key factor. HERE is the link to the DFL announcement.
From the youth teams to the professional players: Richard Job was a genuine ‘Leverkusen lad’. On this Tuesday, the Bayer 04 legend ‘King Richard’ would have been 100 years old. In commemoration, we recall a special career with a cross on the chest. HERE is the link to the article.
Other former Werkself players celebrate their birthdays on 9 March. Pirmin Schwegler is the youngest of the quartet. The Swiss defensive allrounder played for Leverkusen from 2005 to 2009. After ending his playing career last summer, Schwegler became a scout at Bayern Munich a few months ago – and today he is 34 years old.
Auch der neuerdings 52-jährige Martin Frydek (1997/98) sowie der gebürtige Leverkusener Ioannis Masmanidis feiern ihren Geburtstag. Der Deutsch-Grieche durchlief die Nachwuchsabteilung von Bayer 04 und wechselte 2004 aus der zweiten Mannschaft zum Karlsruher SC. Masmanidis ist seit heute 38 Jahre alt. Herzlichen Glückwunsch an das Trio!
Hans „Opa“ Benzler, Leverkusener Regionalliga-Torhüter der späten 1960er Jahre, wäre am Dienstag 85 geworden. Er verstarb im Herbst 2017. Bayer 04 erinnert an den Meister-Keeper von 1968.
After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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Newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg will begin the 2026/27 season as Bundesliga club number 59. The Saarland club start their first Bundesliga campaign at home to the Werkself on Saturday, 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST) at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde, which is currently being rebuilt. For one Leverkusen player in the ‘Elv’ line-up, the clash will be a special reunion. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Ernest Poku is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The club has loaned the Dutch winger to Beşiktaş for one year. If certain criteria are met, the Istanbul club – who finished fourth in the Turkish top flight last season – will be obliged to make the move permanent.
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