Carro will also have a place on the supervisory committee of the UCC SA, the joint venture between the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the ECA. On that high-ranking group of experts, he replaces the only German representative Oliver Kahn who resigned his seat after his departure from Bayern Munich in the spring of 2023.
In addition to Carro, the Bundesliga will continue to be represented by Jan-Christian Dreesen (Bayern Munich) and Oliver Mintzlaff (RB Leipzig). Both were able to qualify for a seat on the board in the vote held on Thursday. Germany is thereby the only country that has three board representatives on the ECA for the next four years up to 2027.
Fernando Carro on his appointment: "It is important that German football has a significant voice in the European context in these demanding and forward-looking times. I look forward to the coming tasks and also knowing that I will have two expert and experienced allies for German interests at my side in Jan-Christian Dreesen and Oliver Mintzlaff.“
The European body UEFA and the ECA agreed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on extending cooperation to 2030 on Wednesday. The close cooperation of the two organisations was a crucial factor in turning away from the Super League in 2021 and then enabling the reform of the UEFA Champions League from 2024.
The ECA:
The European Club Association (ECA) is an autonomous and independent special interest group of European football clubs officially recognised both by UEFA and FIFA. Since being founded in 2008, the ECA protects and supports clubs in all international football matters and decision-making processes. The ECA sees the club as the "heart of football." The ECA is headed by an executive board elected by the general meeting that is supported by a number of committees with specific responsibilities and areas of activity. Click HERE for the ECA homepage.
The Werkself conceded a goal at home for the first time since the beginning of January 67 minutes into the game against FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Jarell Quansah levelled late on for the final score of 1-1 to secure a point and avoid a first home defeat in six games. Bayer 04 were very critical of their performance after the game. The Werkself review.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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From special edition jerseys to fan banners, the home game against Mainz 05 was all about the many Bayer 04 fan clubs. Accordingly, a fitting tribute to the long-standing Werkself supporters was not to be missed during half-time in the Bundesliga match. Fernando Carro, CEO, honoured the up to 50-year anniversaries of six fan clubs in front of the coaches' benches at the BayArena.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 on Matchday 24 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
A late goal secured a point for Bayer 04 at home to FSV Mainz 05 in a match that saw the Black and Reds dominant in the second half. Despite lots of possession, the Werkself initially found few gaps and fell behind after 67 minutes when Sheraldo Becker scored in a Mainz counter-attack. In the closing stages, Leverkusen threw everything forward once again and equalised through Jarell Quansah (88').
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