
"Matej Kovar is big, strong in one-on-ones and is very good with his feet," said Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting managing director, in describing the qualities of the Czech keeper. "He's a player with great prospects and we have high hopes for him in the coming years."
Kovar made 32 appearances as the number one keeper at Sparta Prague last season and he kept a clean sheet 11 times. Before his move to Germany, he had detailed discussions with his Czech fellow countrymen, the former Leverkusen player Michal Kadlec. "Michal not only told me all about the Bundesliga but also Bayer 04 Leverkusen in particular," said the goalkeeper. "He described the club to me in glowing detail. I'm very excited about the quality of this team. From what I've seen so far, I can hardly wait for the next few years."

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 Berlin had already withdrawn from the vote a few days earlier.
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