Bayer 04 stands for diversity, inclusion and integration and on the Holocaust Memorial Day as with any other day is clearly against every form of violence, extremism, racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination.
With the Day of remembrance in German football, DFB, state associations, professional and amateur clubs remember the victims of National Socialism. The day of remembrance was introduced by the 'Nie Wieder' (Never again) campaign to carry the message from the survivors of the former concentration camp at Dachau into the present and future.
On this day of remembrance, the German Football Museum in Dortmund has published an online biographical dictionary of persecuted Jewish football players, which Werkself legend Rüdiger Vollborn helped to compile. "Never forget!" has been created in cooperation with the network of German football museums and club archives and contains over 200 life stories and destinies. The digital collection can be accessed HERE free of charge.
At the Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast lost 5-4 on penalties in the Round of 16 against Egypt including Liverpool star Mo Salah and are now out of the competition. Werkself defender Odilon Kossounou did not feature.
Burkina Faso, with Bayer 04 player Edmond Tapsoba, are already through to the quarter-finals at AFCON with the next match on Sunday evening. Tapsoba and Co. went through with a 7-6 win on penalties against Gabon. The Black and Red number 12 played the full 90 minutes and also converted his penalty in style. They face Tunisia in the quarter-finals with the FC Köln player Ellyes Skhiri in their ranks. The kick-off on Saturday 29 January is at 20.00 CET. It will be broadcast live by the streaming service DAZN.
Bayer 04 congratulates Martin Kree on his 57th birthday. The former Werkself player wore the Black and Red shirt from 1989 to 1994. The central defender made 189 appearances, scored 27 goals and won the DFB Cup in 1993. The left-footer joined Borussia Dortmund for the 1994/95 season where he went on to win the Champions League and the World Club title three years later. Many happy returns.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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