In addition to the two managing directors Fernando Carro and Rudi Völler, the sporting director Simon Rolfes, the coaching and support staff, there are 27 players staying at the conference hotel owned by Bayer Gastronomie GmbH. The players are Lucas Alario, Nadiem Amiri, Charles Aránguiz, Ayman Azhil, Leon Bailey, Julian Baumgartlinger, Karim Bellarabi, Lars Bender, Sven Bender, Kerem Demirbay, Moussa Diaby, Aleksandar Dragovic, Kai Havertz, Lukas Hradecky, Niklas Lomb, Wendell, Ramazan Özcan, Exequiel Palacios, Paulinho, Daley Sinkgraven, Adrian Stanilewicz, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Mitchell Weiser, Fabian Rüth, Marcel Lotka and Florian Wirtz.
After arriving in Wermelskirchen, Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO, explained the decision to use the hotel in Bergisches Land. “It was important to us for the players to have the chance to get away from the training ground – that’s why we decided against using the Lindner Hotel at the BayArena and for the Große Ledder. On top of that, our hygiene officer Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar looked at the hotel beforehand. We can meet all the hygiene and organisational requirements here,” said the 55-year-old.
With regard to the forthcoming intensity of the coming weeks, it is very important to have regular communication with the players. Fernando Carro: “We rarely have so many and long meetings with the team as we’re having at the moment. We’ve explained a lot to them and answered their questions. We all see it as a privilege to be able to carry on with the Bundesliga. Therefore, we are grateful for the confidence shown in us and we’ll do all we can to make sure playing the games is as safe as possible and that we fulfil all requirements.”
The Black and Reds will only leave their accommodation this week for the – continuing closed – sessions at the training ground at the BayArena. On Sunday, 17 May, Carro, Völler and Co. will head north. Bayer 04 are away to Werder Bremen at the Wohninvest Weserstadion in the final game of matchday 26 on Monday, 18 May, at 20.30 CET. That is followed by another away game at Borussia Mönchengladbach (22-24 May). The first home fixture at the BayArena is on 26 or 27 May when VfL Wolfsburg are the visitors.
Calling all eSports fans: On Saturday, 21 February (from 16:00 CET), the Werkself Wildcard Cup will take place at XPERION Köln (Hansaring 97, 50670 Cologne). Interested EA FC 26 amateur players will have the opportunity to win attractive prizes and a place in the VBL Open Play-offs by WOW. The play-offs are the final preliminary stage of the VBL Grand Final by WOW, the tournament for the German individual championship and, alongside the club championship (VBL CC), the most important sub-competition in the German eSports scene. Read on for information on registration.
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At its first general meeting on 5 February 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, the Frauen Bundesliga FBL e.V. made key decisions regarding the future direction of the Women’s Bundesliga. The meeting was based on the results of the negotiations with the German Football Association (DFB) over the past few weeks.
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Another efficient performance from the Werkself in the 3-0 home win against FC St. Pauli saw them reach the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third time in a row, and it was not the only record set on what was a successful evening. It meant head coach Kasper Hjulmand was delighted to "still be in with the chance of winning something". Like the coach, however, the ambitious Edmond Tapsoba also stated that he wanted to keep "improving" bit by bit: "We'll continue to give our all, no matter who we come up against." The Werkself review of the clash.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 3-0 win against FC St. Pauli in the quarter-final of the DFB-Pokal 2025/26...
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