''Neverkusen'' and its German equivalent ''Vizekusen'' ("second-kusen") are nicknames for German football team Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Both apply to the runners-up image of the team, which from 2000–2002 often found its way into finals but never to the top. Bayer, the company owning the team, has issued a trademark on ''Vizekusen'' and others which the German ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' has claimed as proof of a Bayer marketing strategy to use the ironic elements. The expressions have had various echoes in the press. In case of Bayern Munich's three final losses in the Champions League,

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

and

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...

in 2012, the press used expressions like "Vizekusen-Syndrome", "Vizekusen 2.0.", or ''Vizekusen''-stigmata and a fear of having them stuck. Some concerns about a ''Vizekusen curse'' were raised before the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

and

Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

as an important number of players in the national team came from Leverkusen or Bayern respectively.Fußball – Zurück und nach vorne – Champions League und EM 2012
Der Wahlberliner, Das Netzmagazin von Alexander Platz

References

{{Reflist Bayer 04 Leverkusen Sports-related curses