“Vicecuses”? The term is protected until 2030, but its content could be history this April. Bayer Leverkusen’s approaching championship doesn’t excite everyone.
For years, millions of fans in German football have longed for a champion other than FC Bayern. And now? Bayer Leverkusen? The Werkself’s approaching first title, which only needs one win from six games, doesn’t seem to be exactly triggering a storm of celebration among the neutral supporters.
“Bayer Leverkusen has had a fabulous season with sporting skill. It is appropriate to recognize this achievement,” said the fan alliance “Our Curve” in response to the German Press Agency when asked how it was viewed in the fan scenes that Bayer 04, of all teams, is now replacing Bayern as permanent champions. Due to the 50+1 exception, the financial conditions at Bayer are different than at other clubs – especially in the wake of the corona pandemic. In the event of a championship, it will therefore remain a “taste” for neutral fans.
The 50+1 rule essentially means that the parent club holds the majority of votes in the capital company of the spun-off professional department. According to the statutes of the German Football League, Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg are exempt from this
“Attention bursts are important”
But while some fans believe the wrong club is breaking Bayern’s dominance, coach Xabi Alonso’s flawless season so far also has positive aspects. From the perspective of sports economist Christoph Breuer, Bayer’s outstanding season, with not a single competitive game defeat so far, is good for the marketing of the Bundesliga. These achievements in combination with Alonso as an internationally known coach and national players from many different countries give the Bundesliga a boost in attention, as the professor from the German Sports University in Cologne said.
“Such surges of attention are important so that the Bundesliga becomes even more attractive internationally. It can already help if the TV rights for foreign countries are sold.”
League leaders Leverkusen can secure the title this weekend. The city of 170,000 can then dream of two more titles and thus the triple. Bayer is in the final of the DFB Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Leverkusen could then finally shed the image of the gray mouse in the shadow of its Rhenish neighbors from Cologne and Mönchengladbach.
And the nickname “Vizekusen”, coined around the turn of the millennium, could also be history once and for all – if Bayer wants to. According to the German Patent and Trademark Office, the “Vizekusen” trademark was registered in 2010 and is currently protected for Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH until the end of February 2030.
This was not an act of self-irony back then, explains former Bayer managing director Wolfgang Holzhäuser today. “The tabloid wanted to turn Vizekusen into a campaign, sell T-shirts and so on. I wanted to prevent that in order to protect the brand,” Holzhäuser told dpa.
According to the office, “Meisterkusen” was also once protected for Bayer, but the registration was not extended and the trademark was deleted in March 2020.
Footballers win, companies make losses
While things are going better than ever for the Bayer footballers, the main and title sponsor is struggling. The traditional company, which was founded in 1863, has long since given up the classic chemical business in order to focus on two core businesses – pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemistry, i.e. seeds and crop protection products. By concentrating on the essentials, the company wanted to become as strong as possible in order to master the global competition with other major rivals.
With the takeover of US rival Monsanto in 2018, the then CEO Werner Baumann took the big step to dominate the global agricultural chemicals market. Given the growing world population and increasing demand for crops, this should be an investment in the future.
But nothing came of a profitable championship in this sector of the economy; instead, billions in legal risks surrounding the controversial weed killer glyphosate, which Monsanto had in its portfolio under the name Roundup, weighed on the balance sheet. Although Bayer repeatedly emphasizes that glyphosate is safe when used correctly, the number of claims for damages due to the risk of cancer went through the roof. Instead of becoming a liberation, the Monsanto deal, which cost more than 55 billion euros, became a heavy mortgage for the company, whose share price fell and fell.
Additional attractiveness for Bayer as an employer?
Bayer is now only worth around 27 billion euros on the stock market – including Monsanto. In 2019, shareholders even refused to grant Bayer boss Werner Baumann the standard discharge at the annual general meeting. Instead of shining like footballers, the company is currently having a difficult time: in 2023, Bayer made a loss of 2.9 billion euros on sales of 47.6 billion euros.
It remains to be seen whether the Bayer company will make more positive headlines not only in terms of sport but also economically by winning a championship title in the Bundesliga. “We have learned from the past that Bayer AG’s commitment to culture, social and sporting areas has a positive effect on the company’s image. We hope that this effect will be strengthened in the future by the titles awarded to Bayer 04 footballers,” said the Nicolas Limbach, who is responsible for sport in the company, told the dpa.
The awareness of the Bayer brand will also increase due to the success of the kicking staff, Limbach assured. However, direct financial effects, for example on the market value or the share price, are unlikely, said sports economist Breuer. However, Bayer could become more attractive as an employer.