Contrary to plans, VfL Bochum has appointed six players to the team council instead of five. One newcomer and one youngster are among them. The new captain has also been decided.

Ahead of the start of the 2nd Bundesliga season on Saturday (August 2, 1 p.m.) at SV Darmstadt, VfL Bochum has presented its captain, his deputy, and the team council.

Matus Bero will lead VfL onto the pitch as captain in the new season. Speaking to the WAZ newspaper a few days ago, he emphasized: “For me, it’s important that I help my teammates when I play. I don’t have to be captain to do that. I want to help my teammates. Whether I wear the armband or not doesn’t matter.”

Now he’s got it – the team elected him as their new captain. Perhaps it will also help convince the midfielder to stay for good. There have been rumors that Bero wants to move to the Bundesliga, and VfL could use the transfer fee.

With this promotion, the club is once again expressing the great appreciation it has for Bero. This is not the first time Bero has been captain. Before joining VfL, he was captain at Vitesse Arnhem.

Bero is the new captain, with goalkeeper Timo Horn as his deputy. The team council also includes Philipp Hofmann, Maximilian Wittek, new signing Kevin Vogt, and youngster Mats Pannewig, who was chosen by the coach. The council has six members instead of the five originally planned because two players received the same number of votes. Bero will officially lead VfL onto the pitch as the new captain for the first time against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. Over 12,000 fans will be in attendance, and Hecking emphasized before the game: “My expectations for such games are that I want to see certain things. We will certainly see a few mistakes that we will have to factor in for the start of the season. Leverkusen is still early in their preparations, but they are still a good opponent against whom we want to see how we measure up.”