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.
A group of about 50 members of the Bayer 04 Football Academy São Paulo visited Leverkusen over the past few days, accompanied by Bayer 04 club legend Paulo Sergio and Luiz Felipe (managing director of academy in São Paulo) for a week full of football, encounters and very special insights. In addition to the Bundesliga away game in Elversberg and the home game against Union Berlin, the visit also featured a joint training session with the Bayer 04 Football Academy in Leverkusen and a tour of the Bayer AG facilities. The guests also gained special insights into the club and the world of Bayer 04.
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The men's clothing retailer LERROS will remain the official fashion and premium partner of Bayer 04 for the current season. As in the past, LERROS will provide the club's men's team, coaching staff and management with high-quality clothing for international trips.
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“Diaby! Diaby! Diaby!” was the cry around the BayArena as the Werkself danced in front of the north stand following their 4-0 win over Union Berlin. Captain Edmond Tapsoba gave his new (and old) teammate a friendly shove forward to take in the acclaim from the fans. The returning Frenchman was typically reserved in thanking the supporters but was clearly emotional about what was happening.
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Bayer 04 produced a dominant and impressive 4-0 win over Union Berlin as they picked up three points in their first home game of the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Exequiel Fernández opened the scoring after only 41 seconds, with Facundo Medina doubling the lead before the half-hour mark. Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza continued the procession in the second period, in which Moussa Diaby came on for his first Leverkusen appearance for over three years.
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