“I will never forget this day,” said the happy Verena Kümper (30). Verena and her partner Alexander (33) both said yes in face masks in the centre circle at the BayArena on Thursday. “It was great to be on the pitch. We put the coronavirus crisis out of our minds for that moment and just focused on each other.”
30 April is not only the date of the wedding of the Leverkusen couple but also the date of when they first met three years ago. The Kümpers got to know each other in Saarbrücken where they were working on their doctorates. At the end of April 2017 they came back from a walk in the Saarbrücken forest as a couple. Verena and Alexander have been living in the Leverkusen district of Opladen for the past year.
A lot has happened since then: The couple found out that Verena was pregnant just before Christmas in 2019. “We spoke to the registry office because we wanted to get married before the baby is born. And as soon as possible so that Verena can still get into her wedding dress,” explained Alexander with a smile. One of the first dates available was – fittingly – 30 April. The marriage venue: the BayArena. Plans were quickly put into action. Until the coronavirus pandemic put a spanner in the works.
The couple had to cancel their planned wedding ceremony in a restaurant on the Wupper and instead deal with the regulations for the wedding: Temperatures taken on the wedding day, face masks for the wedding vow, maintaining the social distance of 1.5 metres to the registrar. “On the wedding day itself we were able to concentrate on ourselves. The organisation of the event by BayArena+ ran smoothly; we were presented with a cake from the club,” said Verena Kümper.
The couple were linked to relatives from the ceremony, via a mobile phone on a tripod. That was followed by the obligatory wedding photos on the pitch – and the wedding couple were able to take off their face masks for the traditional kiss. All in all, Verena and Alexander Kümper were very happy with the wedding at a venue where Bundesliga football is played.
With seven points, Mainz 05 are currently joint seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Bayer 04. In today’s head-to-head clash (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself must be particularly wary of the clinical Mainz strike duo. For Leverkusen fans who have left it to the last minute, there are still a few tickets available from the matchday ticket office. Those following the Black and Reds from home, on the other hand, have a choice: RTL is broadcasting the match on free-to-air TV, and Werkself Radio is also offering the expert commentary of former Bayer 04 player Falko Götz. Today’s matchday news.
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Back from the international break: On Saturday 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), the Werkself are away to Mainz 05. Ahead of the clash at the MEWA ARENA against the side currently sixth in the table, head coach Carles Martínez spoke, amongst other things, about the team’s work during the extended international break. The Spaniard also commented, when asked, on a number of squad matters, including Ibrahim Maza.
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FSV Mainz 05 went into the international break on the back of an away win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Currently sixth in the table, the Rheinhessen side – who have been impressive on the road – now aim to continue their good start to the Bundesliga campaign at home when they face the Werkself on Saturday, 10 October (kick-off: 15:30 CEST). In terms of squad selection, Urs Fischer once again has more options at his disposal. Up front, the Mainz coach is likely to continue relying on what is currently the league’s most successful strike partnership. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Thomas Eichin has been working for Bayer 04 for six years – as Director of Professional Teams since July 2023 – and has contributed to the successful development of our club in many areas. Today, Friday 9 October, Freiburg-born Eichin is celebrating his 60th birthday. We wish him a very happy birthday.
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Together with his family, friends and close associates, Bayer 04 Leverkusen bid farewell to Peter Hermann. The club’s long-serving assistant manager passed away on 19 September following a serious illness. Today, Thursday 8 October, Bayer 04 held an event attended by around 200 invited guests to commemorate Peter Hermann’s legacy. Representatives from the DFB and the other professional clubs where Hermann worked paid their respects to him at the BayArena.
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