1. FC Köln extended their co-operation with J-League side, Sanfrecce Hiroshima for a further three years on Tuesday, 9th April 2024. In a press conference alongside Hiroshima, Markus Rejek looked back on the path thus far and explained with the clubs fit well together.
"Our clubs have a rich history filled with tradition, which connects us in a sporting and personal sense," explained Rejek. FC and Sanfrecce are both founding members of their leagues and can also claim to be the first winners of those respective league titles. Both clubs look to develop and promote talent from their own ranks with the goal of young players getting into the first-team. "Both sides have a lot of motivation behind the current relationship and, as is the case in any relationship: if it's going well, then it makes sense to keep going. And that's what we're going to do. It is an exciting and promising partnership which makes sense for both," explained the FC Managing Director further.
"The club and the people behind it fit. We share the same values, which is something that we have most definitely experienced in the three years so far." Now, the path should be intensified and expanded. "In the future, we will be in closer contact at a management and communication level. Women's football will also play a bigger part," as Rejek explained the next steps in the co-operation.