Back
13.07.2021Bayer 04

Fernando Carro moves up to the ECA board

Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, has been appointed to the board of the influential European Club Association (ECA). The 56-year-old now represents the interests of the Bundesliga at the European Association level on the ECA board, together with Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and Bayern Munich Director of Legal Affairs, Dr. Michael Gerlinger – both of whom have been German representatives on this executive board for several years.
crop_Carro.jpg

The ECA represents around 230 professional clubs in Europe. The organisation is regularly represented by 24 board members, especially focused on topics relating to the continental football Association UEFA, which acts as the umbrella organisation for all national football associations and as a marketer of European club competitions. In addition to Carro, Dan Friedkin (President, AS Roma) and Oleg Petrov (CEO, AS Monaco) were newly appointed to the ECA Board of Directors.

It became necessary to fill positions on the board after several clubs and their officials represented on the ECA board sought and announced the establishment of a 'Super League' last April – bypassing the bodies of UEFA and ECA. The project failed. At the top of the ECA, Andrea Agnelli, club boss of Juventus, had to resign. With him went six other top officials of the Super League project. And nearly was replaced by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Chairman and CEO of the top French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Carro: appointment is both an honour and Motivation 

"European football is facing major challenges, and not only because of the pandemic and its consequences. There will be a lot to accomplish in the next few years," said Fernando Carro, who has been the CEO at Bayer 04 since 2018. "I see this responsibility as both an honour and motivation. And I'm delighted that, as representatives of the Bundesliga, we will be given even greater voice, influence and opportunities for input when it comes to the future of football."

 

Related News

Fan-Talk mit Carro und Rolfes
Fans - 02.08.2026

Fans meeting with Carro and Rolfes: ‘Seeing you happy motivates us’

This fan meeting got off to a rather unexpected start. On Sunday afternoon, the Bayer 04 managing directors had just welcomed the fans present at the team hotel for the traditional get-together at the training camp when Fernando Carro’s phone rang. The CEO, glancing towards managing director sport Simon Rolfes with a smile, said: “We’ll just have to answer that quickly.” When asked by the fans what the call was actually about, the pair left it open with a wink. Instead, Carro and Rolfes then spent over an hour happily answering the fans’ many other questions.

Show more
Kerim Alajbegovic
Bayer 04 - 02.08.2026

Bayer 04 transfer Kerim Alajbegovic to Juventus

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.

Show more
Werkself bezieht Quartier im Weimarer Land
Bayer 04 - 01.08.2026

Start of preseason training camp: Werkself arrive in Weimarer Land

A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.

Show more
Lobke Loonen trifft zum 1:0
Women - 01.08.2026

Home kit debut: Women’s team win friendly against Genk

With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.

Show more
Werkself wins friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen 3-0 | Friendly
Werkself-TV - 01.08.2026

TV highlights of 3-0 win in friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen

Werkself TV shows the highlights of the 3-0 victory in the friendly match against Rot-Weiss Essen...

Show more