Bayer 04, together with the club's partners, have supported Ukrainian refugees since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Around 1,500 people who fled to Leverkusen have made their home here. "The colleagues at the community foundation are very grateful the comprehensive support from Bayer 04," said Meinolf Sprink, director of fans/community at the Werkself. "As Bayer 04, we want to provide support in our home city where help is needed most urgently."
The money raised from the sale of the strictly limited edition special shirts is being made available to the Leverkusen community foundation. In cooperation with the City of Leverkusen there will be a fair distribution to regionally active institutions supporting Ukraine refugees.
The proceeds from the joint derby shirt campaign organised by Bayer 04, Barmenia and JAKO was originally to go to the Leverkusen project 'Bayer 04 im Quartier'. However, given the great suffering of millions of people in Ukraine the all the different managements decided to use the money for Ukraine aid.
The Leverkusen community foundation and Bayer 04 worked successfully together last summer in providing flood relief that saw fast support given to numerous people in and around Leverkusen.
Photo (left to right): Meinolf Sprink (Bayer 04 director of fans/community), Marc Adomat (City manager in the city of Leverkusen), Markus Grawe (Chair of the foundation committee at the Leverkusen community foundation) and Fernando Carro (Bayer 04 CEO).
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month.
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Kasper Hjulmand has led the Werkself back to winning ways and is back in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with Bayer 04 after the 3-0 win against Villarreal on Wednesday evening. In an interview with the Werkself magazine at the BayArena in the team meeting room, directly opposite the dressing room, he provided some special insights for the current issue, which was published in January. A conversation with the 53-year-old coach about values, attitudes and personal experiences as well as interests outside of football.
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The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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The draw for the knockout play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was made on Friday, 30 January and saw Bayer 04 paired with Olympiacos. It’s a reunion with the Greek side following the Werkself’s 2-0 loss in Athens on Matchday 7 of the league phase.
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