"The health ministers of the states join the federal health minister in the firm conviction that it is not possible to open the stadiums for spectators against the background of the pandemic," was contained in a press release after the meeting of the Conference of Health Ministers (GM K) on Monday night. The German Football League (DFL) reacted to the political decision on Tuesday. The "main priority" obviously remains the "containment of the coronavirus." At the same time, it should be "the target in all areas of life to endeavour to return in the direction of normality. The DFL and the clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 will accordingly continue to prepare as best as possible for the return of spectators to stadiums."
The 36 professional clubs in Germany had recently agreed a plan for the return of spectators during the coronavirus pandemic. The plan envisaged no standing and no alcohol sales until the end of October, a ban on away fans to the end of the year plus the collection of all contact details. The new Bundesliga is set to start on 18 September.
RTL broadcast the quarter-final clash between the Werkself and Inter Milan on Monday night free to air. An average of 3.31 million viewers watched the Black and Reds lose 2-1 against the Nerazzurri, which represents a market share of 14 per cent. At the peak, up to four million viewers watched the German-Italian knockout match.
This question has now become as obligatory at a press conference with Peter Bosz as his "assessment of the match" or questions about player availability: What is the future for Kai Havertz? And, of course, crystal ball gazing was on the agenda after the game against Inter Milan. Bosz handled it with humour: "Yes, I can inform you that Kai Havertz will play for Heracles Almelo next season." Why Almelo? Bosz coached the Dutch top-flight club for three years before moving on to Vitesse Arnhem in the summer of 2013. Up to now, Almelo is the club where the 56-year-old has been in the dugout for the most matches. Bosz' former club reacted to the statement with a humorous post on social media:
In almost tropical temperatures by the River Dhünn, the traditional kick-off event at the Leverkusen sports college took place – even if under restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the open air and wearing masks, the 24 'newcomers’ born between 2003 and 2005 gained their first impressions ahead of the start of the new academic year. "This event serves to give them all the necessary information," explained Steffi Nerius, the head of the sports college. "Our aim is to combine high-performance sports with education through optimum time management."
The new arrivals are Aaron, Amin, Ayman, Chiara, Giancarlo, Joyce, Luca, Marcel, Sadik, Sofie, Tiago, Volkan (football), Allegra, Luca, Edy, Lukas, Simon (athletics), Christin, Sophie, Nele (handball), Lukka, Milton (basketball), Tim and Svenja (fencing).
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 0-1 loss at Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the women's DFB-Pokal 2026/27
Show more
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career working as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show more
Having previously recorded six consecutive home wins across all competitions, Bayer 04 suffered their first home defeat of 2026/27 as they went down 4-2 to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Matchday 8. The visitors capitalised on their first two chances to score, with Ermedin Demirovic and Jamie Leweling finding the net in the first half. Although Patrik Schick got a goal back in the first half, Bilal El Khannouss and Demirovic again added further goals for Stuttgart. Bayer 04 didn’t give up, but Ibrahim Maza’s goal proved little more than a consolation.
Show more
Fans at the BayArena got to enjoy a spectacle on Wednesday as the Werkself came from behind to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the DFB Pokal. Now with the sixth home game of the season, can Bayer 04 maintain their perfect record in Leverkusen as VfB Stuttgart come to town in the Bundesliga on Saturday (15:30 CET)? The visitors have had issues domestically this term, sitting in 15th place, although they have had much better results in the UEFA Champions League. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 8 encounter…
Show more
The Bayern Munich women’s football team are unbeaten in all domestic competitions in the last 62 matches. On Sunday (15:00 CET), the Bayer 04 women’s team will make their next attempt to end the holders unbeaten run in the DFB Pokal Round of 16 tie. For coach Roberto Pätzold, there are a number of factors that give the Werkself cause for optimism despite the high-calibre opposition.
Show more
