News in brief: Shirt advance sales – DFL awards TV rights

It is now confirmed: Viewers 'only' need two subscriptions to watch the Bundesliga. Today (Monday), the German Football League (DFL) have awarded the TV rights to the Bundesliga for the seasons from 2021/22 to 2024/25. The pay-TV broadcaster Sky has secured the rights to the live matches and multi-match broadcasts on Saturdays, matchdays in the week and the play-off games. The Friday and Sunday matches will be broadcast by the streaming platform DAZN. ProSieben/Sat.1 will broadcast nine games per season – free to air. The highlights of all games on each matchday will continue to be broadcast on the ARD Sportschau and the ZDF Sportstudio programmes. The income from the TV rights for the four seasons will be €4.4 billion, which is €1.1 billion per season. Up to now the media income per season was €1.16 billion.

New Werkself kit advance sales

The Werkself will wear their new home kit for the first time in the final Bundesliga fixture of the current season against FSV Mainz 05 on 27 June (15.30 CET). Fans can already order the Bayer 04 kit for next season via the online shop (shop.bayer04.de) ahead of the official presentation on Saturday – and with a reduction of 20% on the full price. The offer runs to Friday, 26 June at 23.59 CET. The discount will automatically be deducted in the basket. Come on in!

Women: On the verge of staying up

Thanks to yesterday's 3-1 derby win against FC Köln , The Bayer 04 Women have taken a big step forward in the battle to avoid relegation. With one game to play before the end of the FLYERALARM Women's Bundesliga season, the team led by head coach at Achim Feifel are in ninth place on 17 points. They are now three points ahead of the team from Cologne in the first relegation spot. The Black and Reds also have a plus 15 goal difference. That means Bayer 04 will only have to worry in the event of a heavy defeat in the last game of the season on Sunday, 28 June (kick-off: 14.00 CET) at the champions elect VfL Wolfsburg combined with a runaway win for FC Köln at home to SC Sand. "We’re not safe yet. We have to put up a fight at Wolfsburg and produce a good performance," said Feifel, aware of the significance of the remaining match.

Olympic Stadium in a new light

The DFB Cup final between the Werkself and FC Bayern will see the first use of a new, fully colour LED floodlights system at the Berlin Olympic Stadium. That means the venue for the final on 4 July, played behind closed doors, will be lit up in the green of the DFB. The lighting designer Mikki Kuntu, who directed the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing in 2008, has installed membrane lighting in the roof of the arena. It is hoped the new floodlights will also achieve a 50% reduction in energy use.

30 years ago today

It is exactly 30 years ago to the day that Frank Rijkaard spat at Rudi Völler. In the Round of 16 game at the 1990 World Cup in Milan, the Dutchman fouled the Germany forward. The referee showed Rijkaard a straight red card and that was followed by the as yet unforgotten spitting incident. But Völler does not bear any grudges. "It happened, that's it and it's done with," said the current sporting managing director of Bayer 04 who, to the dismay of many, was also sent off after the incident.