1.05.2024Bayer 04

From the archives: 75 years ago – the first derbies

The 1948/49 season saw the first major clash with 1. FC Köln. Both teams become champions of their respective Rhine district leagues and would compete against each other for promotion to the Oberliga West. Sportvereinigung Bayer 04 Leverkusen, as our club had been known since December 1948, went for a short training camp at the Bayer recreation centre in Dabringhausen/Große Ledder for the first time and focused on its preparations in the idyllic rural setting.

The two rivals played their first match on 8 May 1949 in front of 22,000 spectators at the Cologne racecourse in Müngersdorf. Some 5,000 Leverkusen fans accompanied our team and were equipped with black and red flags beforehand. Departure was at 12 noon in front of Leverkusen town hall in trams of 300 directly to the stadium in Cologne.

A flyer called on the away supporters to shake the opponent's confidence with the chant-like battle cry "Leeee-ver-kuuuu-sen". Unfortunately, this was not as successful as hoped. Relatively defenceless, probably also overawed by the large crowd, the Werkself lost 2-0 and were not in a good position for the second leg. Richard Job, in particular, fell far short of his usual performances after finally recovering from a knee injury. The club management accused him of having contacts with FC Köln and handed him an internal suspension.

Bayer 04 were giving up their best player, and neither the objections of his teammates nor those of many fans made the club management understand this. Job himself stayed out of the discussions but told a newspaper: "All the accusations made against me and the rumours about my possible transfer to FC Köln have no basis. There have been offers from all parts of Germany for years. But I will hardly be the only one. I didn't even hint in the statement I was accused of making before the Köln game that this would be my last game for Bayer, so I have to reject the accusation of the Leverkusen club's decision of gross unsportsmanlike conduct and behaviour detrimental to the team in the strongest possible terms." So he didn’t play and actually left our club after the second leg, moving to Voiswinkel for a year.

The second leg took place on 15 May 1949 in front of a crowd of 14,000 at the Stadtpark, which had previously been considered impossible. In the first half, Bayer put up a fierce fight accompanied by deafening cheers from the Leverkusen youth. The teams changed ends at 1-1, but unfortunately there was not enough energy left in the second half. FC Köln went up to the Oberliga West with a 3-1 victory.

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