Fernando Carro as chairman of the board at Bayer 04 Leverkusen and member of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee assesses the decision of the executive committee as follows: "Performances have to be rewarded, increased commercial interest in the modern football business is legitimate. But, at the same time, it is crucially important to protect the roots of the sport and the idea of open competition as we know it. This area of conflicting priorities is very complex due to the different interests in European club football. For me, the agreed reform of the European club competitions from 2024 was and is a viable and sensible compromise.
That is even more so in view of the plan to set up a closed Super League. It is unfortunately solely driven by financial aspirations and also financial need. This would go against the fundamentals of football in many areas. This initiative unfortunately shows a lack of touch by the people involved in relation to the consumers, the fans.
As Bayer 04 Leverkusen, we decisively reject this alternative format and will work together with the German clubs in UEFA and the ECA to do everything we can over the next two years to implement the reform in 2024 in the interests of football.
Particular thanks go to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for resisting the temptations of the Super League and thereby clearly committing to the Bundesliga. It would also be desirable for politicians in Germany to clearly speak against the foundation of a closed, pan-European club competition."
The new format of the Champions League sees an increase of the current 32 teams to 36 from 2024. The competition will be carried out in future according to the so-called Swiss model. Every cub plays ten group matches against ten opponents drawn out according to seeding. That will produce an overall table of 36 teams with the top eight clubs going through to the knockout rounds. The teams in positions nine to 24 will be involved in play-offs the knockout rounds.
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
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“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
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A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
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It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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