Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04: "Willi Lemke was a great servant to Werder Bremen. During his time in charge, the club celebrated notable successes, including the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup. Beyond Bremen, too, German football owes a lot to Willi Lemke and his decades of work. On behalf of our whole club, I'd like to express our deepest sympathy to all his friends and family."
Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04's managing director for sport, played for Werder Bremen in the early 2000s, knew Lemke well from his time in the Hanseatic City and regarded him highly. "This news saddens me," said Rolfes. "Willi Lemke did tremendous work for Werder Bremen. He was a great person who always had an open ear for players, staff and fans. With his clear opinion and his work outside football, he also had a big social impact. My thoughts are with his family and friends."
Thomas Eichin, director of professional teams at 04, who also spent three years at Werder Bremen as managing director for sport, was shocked by the news: "Willi Lemke was Werder Bremen through and through. He was a fascinating personality. His work for the club was unrivalled."
Lemke worked as general manager of SV Werder Bremen between 1981 and 1999. During his reign, the club celebrated its greatest sporting success to date - winning the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup - as well as the Bundesliga title in 1988 and the DFB Cup wins in 1991 and 1994.
After the end of his involvement in the operational business of SVW, Lemke returned to politics in 1999, initially serving as Bremen's senator for education and science (1999-2007) and then as senator for interior and sport (2007-2008). He remained loyal to Werder and was on the supervisory board for a total of 17 years.
The second international break of the 2025/26 season will begin after the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin (Saturday, 4 October, 15:30 CEST). The latest information on call-ups.
Show moreAlejo Sarco and Argentina won their second group match at the U20 World Cup in Chile on Wednesday night. They beat Australia 4-1 with Sarco setting the tone early with a goal in the third minute. As in the first group game against Cuba, where Sarco scored twice, the 19-year-old was also named "Player of the Match" against Australia.
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Show moreBayer 04 beat PSV Eindhoven 3-2 on matchday two to clock up the next three points in the UCL Youth League 2025/26. In front of just under 500 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, the visitors from the Netherlands led at half-time, but the Werkself turned the game round in the second 45. That makes it two wins on the bounce after the victory in Copenhagen.
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