Bayer Leverkusen is mourning Peter Hermann. The club's long-serving assistant coach and former interim manager died on Saturday at the age of 74, the club confirmed with reference to his family.
Hermann shaped football in Leverkusen over many decades. He spent his first 20 years in coaching in various roles at Bayer 04 and worked under 14 different head coaches during his career. The club paid tribute in a statement. The club described him as an exceptionally renowned and respected assistant coach.
A Wide-Ranging Career Beyond Leverkusen
His influence extended far beyond the BayArena club. Peter Hermann was an assistant to Jupp Heynckes during Bayern Munich's historic treble win in 2013. He later worked again in Munich as an assistant under Niko Kovac, who had once played under Hermann at Leverkusen. Stints at Schalke 04 under Jens Keller, at Borussia Dortmund under Edin Terzic, and roles with the German FA, 1. FC Nürnberg and Fortuna Düsseldorf rounded out his career. Bayern Munich stated that Hermann had lost a long battle with ALS.
Emotional Reactions and On-Field Tribute
The news of Hermann's death prompted deep emotion. Niko Kovac, now head coach at Dortmund, reacted with a broken voice and tearful eyes. He said this was a shock and he was deeply saddened by the loss of a great man.
The following Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen honoured their late colleague in the Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig. Before kick-off, there was a collective minute of silence, memorial images were shown on the scoreboards and the club flag flew at half-mast. After the silence, a long, warm applause erupted. The team won the match at the BayArena 2-0. Patrik Schick and Miguel Gutiérrez scored the goals. The victory consolidated fifth place in the table. The team's current form of three wins from their last five competitive matches is detailed in our stats section.
Bayer Leverkusen's next fixture is an away match against sixth-placed FSV Mainz 05 on October 10.
Further reading: not specified in the report
