As with the Werkself and all other Bundesliga clubs, where players are regularly tested for coronavirus, the Bundesliga referees will now undergo double testing ahead of every game to allow the season to be resumed. The second test will be carried out the day before they are appointed to a game. After evaluation of the test results, the DFB can appoint match officials who have had a negative test. The referees and their assistants will only meet on the day of the match. This procedure has been developed by the DFB referees management together with the DFL and the Sports Medicine/Special Match Operations Task Force under the leadership of DFB team doctor Dr Tim Meyer.
In order to increase the flexibility of appointments and to reduce the travel time of referees as far as possible, the DFB has suspended the previous practice of only appointing elite referees from outside their state associations. However, a referee living in Bremen will not officiate the Werkself game on Monday night as match officials will not be allowed to referee games involving a club from their hometown.
Bayer 04, as with all other Bundesliga clubs, will have a strongly reduced number of staff in the stadiums on matchdays – the DFL concept only allows a total of 300 members of staff per fixture. Accordingly, the number of match officials will be reduced with the target of diminishing risks: From now on there will only be the referee, the two assistants and the fourth official. The referees observer will, from now on, only fulfil their function at games through TV coverage. And the VAR set-up in Cologne will also involve a reduced number of people – there will now only be one video technician instead of the previous two and the workplaces will also be separated by plexiglass panels.
Alejo Sarco has left Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join Sporting Gijón in Spain’s second division. Bayer 04 have secured a buy-back clause for the 20-year-old Argentine striker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed 16-year-old midfield prospect Gabriel Minutillo on a long-term contract. The Germany youth international will play for the U19s this season.
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Bayer 04 preparations for the 2026/27 season are in full swing, with the first friendly now under their belts. Although there are still around seven weeks to go until the first Bundesliga home game in early September, there is already huge anticipation for the start of competitive action for head coach Carles Martínez’s team at the BayArena. For the Bundesliga home matches of the new season, here is the latest information regarding the first phase of single-match ticket sales. The tried-and-tested early-bird phase remains in place. From 23 to 31 July, tickets for matches will go on sale on weekdays; the early-bird phase ends on 5 August at the latest – provided tickets are still available by then.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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Like last year, Bayer 04 Women held their summer training camp in Rieden. Coach Roberto Pätzold gives his assessment of the time in the Upper Palatinate, discusses the integration of the 11 new players and the unusual team building measures, gives his thoughts on the friendly and looks ahead to the start of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga season in August.
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