After winning the Middle Rhine championship, Bayer 04, with Rummel at the helm, beat Union Solingen and Arminia Hannover in the promotion play-offs to move up to Germany's second tier – establishing the base for promotion to the Bundesliga four years later.
Manfred Rummel's main job was as a PE teacher at the Essen Special School for children with learning disabilities. After his stay at Bayer 04 , he went on to coach ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. At both clubs he went on to be a member of management after his coaching roles: CEO at Essen, general manager and vice-president at Oberhausen. As a player, Manfred Rummel was a successful striker at Schwarz-Weiß Essen and in 1959 he played a significant part in the biggest success in the club's history in winning the DFB Cup. He scored both goals in the 2-1 semi-final victory over Hamburg SV and he also netted a brace in the 5-2 win in the final against Borussia Neunkirchen. In 1961/62 Manfred Rummel was the top scorer in the Oberliga West - the top tier in German football at the time - with 26 goals.
A special visit to the BayArena: 222 members from volunteer fire brigades in Leverkusen, the Rheinisch-Bergisch district and the Oberbergisch district watched the Werkself’s 2–0 home win over Slovenian champions NK Celje live in the stadium. Bayer 04 had invited them to the 2026/27 Europa League opener as a thank-you for their tremendous dedication. They watched the match together in Block F4.
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The Bayer 04 U19s have extended their winning run with a fifth consecutive victory on Matchday 5 of the DFB Youth League’s preliminary round. Coach Patrick Greveraars’ side secured a 3–2 (2–1) win in their match against second-placed FC Viktoria Köln, with Burak Kir and Nebe Domnic scoring for the hosts in the first half before captain Ben Hawighorst found the net after the break.
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Bayer 04 will have to manage without defender Guéla Doué for the time being. The Ivory Coast international sustained a muscle injury to his right calf during the final Werkself training session yesterday ahead of the Europa League clash with Slovenian champions NK Celje.
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For the first time since reaching the final against AS Roma (2–2, first leg 2–0) in May 2024, Bayer 04 are playing another home match in the UEFA Europa League – and they will be wearing their new European kit. On Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), the BayArena will welcome Slovenian champions NK Celje, who appointed a new coach this week following a mixed start to the season. Under the slogan “40 Years Across Europe. Still Creating History.”, the Black and Reds now aim to add the next chapter to their European history, which has seen so much success in recent years. Bayer 04 fans can follow the match on free-to-air TV on RTL, as well as on Sky and Werkself Radio. The matchday news.
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European football returns to the BayArena: Bayer 04 host Slovenian champions NK Celje on matchday 1 in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Ahead of the match on Wednesday 16 September (kick-off: 21:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez and midfielder Aleix Garcia spoke at the pre-match press conference. The focus was primarily on the great anticipation surrounding the competition and the clear objectives for it – and, given the circumstances, on a last-minute change to the opposition line-up.
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