Leverkusen sidesteps Tapsoba ban

Leverkusen arranged a quick regional friendly to let Edmond Tapsoba play against Chelsea.

Leverkusen sidesteps Tapsoba ban with improvised warm-up

Leverkusen will meet Chelsea on Friday at Stamford Bridge as part of a warm-up ahead of the season. In a Tuesday friendly against Pisa, Edmond Tapsoba was sent off in the 53rd minute, a red card that would normally trigger a suspension for Leverkusen's final test before the DFB-Pokal opener against Sonnenhof Großaspach on August 15.

Shortly before the weekend, Bayer staged a hidden 30-minute two-team match with SV Schlebusch, a sixth-tier club, at Ulrich-Haberland Stadion. Leverkusen won 4-0, and the interlude was described as a legitimate workaround to keep Tapsoba available for Chelsea. Schlebusch's leadership confirmed the arrangement, and the decision was supported by both clubs' officials as a chance for fringe players to be seen.

This gambit shows how clubs feel pressure to maximize preparation for big matches while navigating the rules. It raises questions about whether the spirit of football regulation is preserved when teams seek workarounds. The incident could invite closer scrutiny from governing bodies and spark public debate about fairness in pre-season preparations.

If a trend like this takes hold, expect tighter rules or closer enforcement. The reputational risk is real: fans and rival clubs may view such moves as gaming the system, even as teams argue they are making practical use of available options to build a cohesive starting XI.

Highlights

Rules stay firm, but ambition keeps pushing the game forward.