The weather could hardly have been better with bright sunshine and temperatures over 20 degrees as the teams kicked off the first Ulrich Haberland Cup since 2019 on the morning of Saturday, 2 July. There were 20 teams competing at the traditional tournament, which was launched in 2009, including Bayer 04 fan clubs, a team consisting of employees and even a fan club from Kickers Offenbach, who arrived with over 40 people, and one from Karlsruher SC.
Werkself players Andrich and Lomb also mingled with the numerous attendees at the Kurt-Rieß-Anlage. The pair visited the fans with head coach Gerardo Seoane after the morning session, watched a few games and also took plenty of time for photos with supporters.
At the end of a successful tournament and day for the whole family, with the only downer being two serious injuries, the Grafen von Berg fan club was crowned the winners.
The Ulrich Haberland Cup traditionally isn’t just about the fun of playing but also about good causes. Proceeds this year from the catering, which the NK12 organised together with ASB [Workers' Samaritan Foundation] Regionalverband Vest Recklinghausen, will go to the children’s palliative care unit at Leverkusen Hospital.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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