With the achievement of this award, the clubs have taken a pioneering position in professional sport. In cooperation with the Swiss organisation ‘sustainable///sports’, a pilot phase of the ‘sustainClub’ was developed and certificated by the independent expert organisation DEKRA. It is the first and only recognised sustainability standard and orientation framework in professional football.
“As a club, we are very happy about achieving the silver status. I’d like to thank everybody who made a contribution to that,” said Fernando Carro, chairman of the board at Bayer 04. “In the assessment of the experts, we not only recognise it as an award but also appreciate it as additional incentive to continuously improve in the area of sustainability.”
The six participating clubs have accepted the challenge in terms of sustainability in professional football and have committed themselves to achieving a better future in three areas of sustainability (economy, ecology and community). The standard contains the setting up of a CSR and sustainability management system, a sustainability analysis and the identification of concrete improvement options.
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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On Friday afternoon, it will be decided which eight of the 36 participating teams Bayer 04 will face in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2026/27. At the draw in Monaco (live on UEFA.com), the Werkself will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, allocated according to the UEFA club coefficient. A match against an opponent from the same country is ruled out, as is facing more than two clubs from the same national association. Here’s a look at the pots and potential opponents.
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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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