
The Bayer 04 shareholders committee completed a thorough review of the 2016/2017 season at its meeting on 17 May. This detailed analysis will continue over the next few weeks to determine and implement targeted measures.
In contrast two contrary speculation, the shareholders committee expressed its full confidence in the management of Bayer 04 led by CEO Michael Schade and sporting director Rudi Völler.
"It is purely about doing everything we can to get our club back on track for the coming season," said Werner Wenning, chairman of the shareholders committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH. "We are firmly convinced that will happen under the leadership of Michael Schade and Rudi Völler."
The top priority now is the appointment of a new head coach and then planning the squad for next season. In addition, internal processes and organisational details are to be improved. The aim is to learn from the mistakes of the current campaign to be able to finish in a European spot next season. Bayer 04 have competed in European competition 17 times in the past 20 years including eleven times in the Champions League – with the last four years in succession.

Bayer 04 host VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on matchday 8 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game will be played on Halloween on Saturday, 31 October with the a 15:30 CET kick-off. The latest information on ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 host SC Paderborn at the BayArena on matchday 10 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season. The game against the newly promoted team is on Saturday, 21 November with the a 15:30 CET kick-off. The latest information on ticket sales.
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“School education: a key to success in a sporting career?” – this and other questions relating to dual training in sport, particularly in football, took centre stage at the EDU-DC Conference at the BayArena. The event, held in the Premium Lounge, brought together experts from top clubs and associations from 24 nations, including England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. Representatives from Bayer 04 and TSV Bayer 04 provided insights into the interplay between school and sport at the Werkself.
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Decision made: Germany will submit a bid to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to host the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Munich. The representatives of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) voted for Munich over Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr at their extraordinary meeting in Baden-Baden on Saturday 26 September. Berlin had already withdrawn from the vote a few days earlier.
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