Germany/Betting: 16-year-old FC Kaiserslautern player wears shirt without a sponsor during game

Dion Hofmeister, a 16-year-old player for FC Kaiserslautern (2.Bundesliga), took to the field wearing a shirt devoid of any sponsorship during the match against Holstein Kiel (won 4-1) on Sunday 23/11/2025, due to German legislation prohibiting minors from promoting gambling operators.

The German club displays the German bookmaker Novoline on its uniforms, as the club's main shirt sponsor for the 2024-2027 cycle. However, German legislation on the promotion of gambling operators (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag, 2021) stipulates that such advertising "must not be aimed at minors". A similar case had already arisen in England: Jeremy Monga, a 15-year-old player for Leicester City FC (then playing in the Premier League), took to the field wearing a shirt with no sponsor, as his club had a contract with the online gaming platform BC.Games.

However, unlike the Premier League, which will ban main shirt sponsorship by bookmakers from the 2026-27 season, or the Serie A Enilive or LALIGA EA Sports, where such restrictions are already in force, no blanket ban has been applied or is under…