
The 55-year-old was on the main stage in the afternoon alongside Axel Hellmann (board member at Eintracht Frankfurt), Oliver Leki (board member at SC Freiburg) and Bernd Hoffmann (board member at Hamburger SV).
One of the key issues in the lively discussion with the Bundesliga bosses was the possible reform of the UEFA Champions League from 2024/25. For quite some time there has been talk and ideas, above all from Italy and Spain, about serious changes, at least in part. Carro: “You can talk about possible changes within the current structure in a number of areas and discuss it rationally but one thing has to be clear: Qualification for the Champions League can only come via national leagues.” A position that not only finds unanimity amongst those present at the conference but also with the whole of the DFL at the moment.
The chairman of the board at Bayer 04 has been a member of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee since September of last year. The committee reports to the executive committee and plays an important role in terms of the organisation of the European club competitions as well as the distribution of income from TV rights. The possible reform of the Champions League from 2024 is seen as one of the most important tasks facing the sports business. Carro is determined to speak out in a constructive manner for the Bundesliga: “We will have to see what is appropriate given the very different approaches and act responsibly to achieve a good result. A very complex task that I am looking forward to, nevertheless, and I’m determined to play my part.”
Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes was on the stage yesterday. The 38-year-old was initially a guest at the ‘kicker meets DAZN’ podcast with the presenters Benni Zander and Alex Schlüter (to be broadcast on Monday). Rolfes was then involved in a discussion with Marc Kosicke, Jürgen Klopp’s agent, and others, on the relationship between players, agents and clubs.

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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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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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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