Hamburg starlet Jann-Fiete Arp almost falls foul of Germany's youth employment law
Jann-Fiete Arp has been granted special permission by local authorities to make the trip with Hamburg to Freiburg on Friday night for the Red-Shorts' Bundesliga Matchday 14 clash.
Paragraph 14, Clause Seven of Germany's youth employment law states that under-18s are only permitted to work between 06:00 in the morning and 20:00 in the evening, but HSV's Friday-night fixture in the Black Forest kicks off at 20:30 local time – half an hour after Arp, who has scored two Bundesliga goals in five games this season, is due to finish working.
Hamburg's application to the Health and Consumer Protection authorities fell on sympathetic ears, however; exceptions to the rule can be made for music concerts, plays in the theatre and other public productions. Fortunately a Bundesliga fixture falls under the category of "other public productions" and so Arp will be permitted to feature for HSV on Friday.
Watch: Arp discusses scoring his first Bundesliga goal on home turf (second overall)!
In 2011, when playing for Schalke, Julian Draxler was caught up in the same predicament, although was also permitted to play.
Hamburg would do well to keep the authorities' direct phone number, however: before Arp's 18th birthday on 6 January, Hamburg face Eintracht Frankfurt (Matchday 16, 20:30) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (Matchday 17, 20:30) in games kicking off after Arp should legally be tucked up in bed.
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