Why did Kaiserslautern’s 16-year-old Dion Hofmeister play without a shirt sponsor?
Dion Hofmeister became the second-youngest player ever to appear in Bundesliga 2 when he came on as a substitute for Kaiserslautern against Holstein Kiel on Sunday, but that was not the only reason he stood out.
With Lautern leading 4-1 at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Hofmeister was brought on as an 87th-minute substitute for Fabian Kunze.
At just 16 years and 135 days, it was an historic moment: Hertha Berlin’s Kennet Eichhorn is the only player to have been younger on their debut in Bundesliga 2, having been 16 years and 14 days old when he played against Karlsruhe on Matchday 2 earlier this season.
Watch: Highlights of Lautern's win over Karlsruhe
Hofmeister had a respectable ten touches of the ball and won two tackles in his few minutes on the pitch, but his cameo was noticeable for a different reason entirely: unlike the rest of his teammates, there was no sponsor on the front of his shirt.
So why was that?
Well, Kaiserslautern’s primary shirt sponsor is an online gambling company, but German federal law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from advertising in such sectors, meaning Hofmeister had to wear a blank shirt.
“I wanted to reward him because he trained very, very well this week,” said head coach Torsten Lieberknecht afterwards. “He’s a good, clear-headed lad. If he can keep his environment like that as well, we can turn him into a decent player. This should only be the beginning of something good.”
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