Explained: Why Leicester City's 15-year-old debutant Jeremy Monga had to wear blank shirt against Newcastle after becoming second youngest Premier League player in history

At just 15 years and 271 days old, Monga came off the bench during Leicester’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium on Monday night, becoming the second-youngest player ever to feature in a Premier League fixture. Only Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri, who debuted at 15 years and 181 days in 2022, was younger when he made his first appearance. Yet what caught the eye immediately was not only Monga's age but the blank shirt he wore - free of a sponsor logo - due to a specific Premier League rule tied to gambling advertisements.

Leicester's official kit sponsor, BC.GAME, is an online cryptocurrency-based gambling platform. Under the terms of a review of the Gambling Act 2005, which the Premier League abides by, no player under the age of 18 is allowed to wear a jersey displaying any gambling-related sponsor. As a result, Monga was handed a sponsorless shirt when he entered the field in the 74th minute against Newcastle, in full compliance with the regulations.

This season, Monga has been a regular presence in Leicester's youth setup, making appearances for both the Under-18 and Under-23 squads. He also featured three times in the Football League Trophy, further showcasing his potential against senior opposition. Additionally, he was part of the senior squad for the FA Cup clash against Manchester United in February, though he did not get any minutes on the pitch.

Despite the heavy defeat to Newcastle, Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy had encouraging words about his young winger's performance as he told reporters: "You could see glimpses of his great qualities. He's a great winger and has speed. He's a fantastic talent, a great boy. He deserved these minutes and hopefully, more to come."

While Monga’s debut offered a rare bright spot, Leicester’s wider predicament remains bleak. Monday’s loss was their eighth consecutive league defeat - all without scoring a single goal. The result leaves them second from bottom in the Premier League table, 15 points adrift of safety with only seven matches left to play. Their next fixture sees them travel to Brighton on Saturday, where they will hope to end their scoring drought and breathe some life into a rapidly fading survival bid.