"You've got the mic on, haven't you? Have you got the mic on," goalkeeping coach David Thiel wanted to know. And it didn't take long for Gerardo Seoane to answer: "Yes, of course I've got the mic on!"
MIKED UP: The 43-year-old Swiss coach willingly took part in this special experiment for the duration of the game – and he involved the Werkself fans on the touchline. Tactical advice, chatting with his fellow coaches, praise for the opponents and live commentary of action on the pitch: Seoane kept the viewers in the loop. Exclusive insights into the role of a coach at a charity match. Always committed but also with a good portion of humour.
This all happened as part of last week's charity match. The Werkself played a City of Leverkusen side in front of 2,100 spectators at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. 33 amateur players from 12 clubs were able to play in the game of their lives against Nadiem Amiri, Kerem Demirbay and Co. The city team even scored a much celebrated consolation goal in the 8-1 defeat.
The most important thing on the night was the donations raised for clubs and social groups badly affected by the floods in July 2021: An impressive €100,000 was raised. The total sum consisted of takings from the charity match as well as the fan flea market at the BayArena at the beginning of October. In addition, Bayer 04 along with main sponsors Barmenia and Premium Partner Tipwin raised the funds to the aforementioned round number.
The Bayer 04 managing directors Fernando Carro and Rudi Völler presented the cheque during the first break to the Leverkusen Community Foundation. CEO Manuel Bast echoed his thanks and was visibly moved: "It's overwhelming to see what Bayer 04, the fans and everybody involved have achieved here. The money donated will help enormously in easing the suffering of the people affected."
A round-up of the evening is available HERE.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will to have manage without forward Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Morocco international suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle before the AFCON final defeat against Senegal (0-1 a.e.t.).
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The VBL Club Championship 2025/26 continues. Tonight, 27 January (live on Twitch and on the Bayer 04 app from 18:00 CET), the Leverkusen eSports team will play the remaining three matches in the online preliminary round of Showdown Four. They are up against FC Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and the current club champions and Showdown Three winners RB Leipzig, with whom Bayer 04, club runners-up and Showdown One winners, shared some memorable moments, especially last year. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Under the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26’, Bayer 04 are turning this season's UEFA Champions League season into a festival. In addition to a Spotify playlist that fans can use to get in the mood for the Champions League nights, there is also a tour pass with stickers for the respective UCL matches exclusively for Bayer 04 Club members. These could be picked up in the respective weeks of the matches. The sticker for the final clash in the league phase (Villarreal, 28 January, 21:00 CET) is now available at the Fanwelt. The competition for all diligent sticker collectors is also now open. Read on for further information.
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