Bayer 04 fans in mourning for Heinz Ern

"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.