"The news has hit us all very hard although we knew Heinz has been unwell for a long time and because of that hadn't been seen very often at matches over the past few months," said Andreas Paffrath, one of the Bayer 04 fan liaison officers. Heinz Ern was not only a highly valued contact for 'Paffi'. Ern was truly a Bayer 04 football fanatic and black and red through and through. He followed the Werkself all over Europe and supported his team in Lisbon and Trondheim, in Moscow and Kharkiv and also went to summer and winter training camps. Heinz Ern did not restrict his commitment to the Bayer 04 first team but he also often attended games played by the (now defunct) U23s both at the Haberland Stadium and away at Verl, Lotte, Wegberg or elsewhere at smaller stadiums.
In recent years, he also developed an interest in the Bayer 04 women's squad, supporting the team on their way to the Bundesliga and he looked after their Facebook page with equal commitment. And he also supported the girls' youth teams in their games across the state. 'Papa Heinz' – the nickname he quickly acquired from the young male and female players at the Werkself and that is how he acted, always full of empathy and with an open ear for the concerns of the youth players.
"We have lost part of the Bayer 04 fan life with Heinz passing on," said 'Paffi' who always valued the pensioner as a trusted contact and critical observer with complete commitment to the club. Heinz Ern was his own man and never hid his opinions. He shared his massive passion for Bayer 04 with his son Stefan and they were both in the 1904online fan club. He will be hugely missed there too.
Calling all Werkself fans: The new Farbenstadt range is available now from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt. This includes new T-shirts made of 100% organic cotton, zip-up hoodies and jogging bottoms in five different summer colours.
Show moreBayer 04 new signing Carlotta Wamser has been called up to the Germany squad for the Women's EURO 2025 finals in Switzerland. For the 21-year-old winger, who is set to join Bayer 04 from Eintracht Frankfurt for next season, it is the first participation in a big international tournament.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen have completed the signing of French U18 international Axel Tape. The 17-year-old moves to the Bundesliga club on a long-term contract from Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2025/26 season. Tape was crowned a French U19 champion with the PSG youth just last weekend.
Show moreFollowing the end of the season for Bayer 04, a lot of Werkself players are currently on the road with their national teams. The Leverkusen players are involved in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and international friendlies. Read on for the latest news on international fixtures involving Werkself players.
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