Köln Manager Wears Kits on Bench

Sep 1, 2025

by Chris

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Manager's Kit Choice: Köln manager Lukas Kwasniok wore the team's black and golden third kit against Freiburg, continuing a trend he started on the first matchday.
Reason for Wearing Kit: Kwasniok stated that his decision to wear the team's jersey is to show his commitment to the club and the city.
Precedent for Managers Wearing Kits: Uwe Koschinat, manager of Osnabrück, also wore his team's third kit last season, indicating Kwasniok is not the first to do this.

Update: Continuing his style from the first matchday, Köln manager Lukas Kwasniok wore the team's black and golden third kit vs Freiburg last weekend. Köln's return to the Bundesliga has been a very successful one - they won their first two matches, and now rank third just behind Bayern and Frankfurt.

Lukas Kwasniok made waves at 1. FC Köln’s season opener in Mainz (1-0 won by Köln thanks to a last-minute goal) by standing on the touchline wearing the club’s 25-26 home jersey - an extremely rare sight in professional football.

Köln Manager to Wear Black & Gold Third Kit Next Matchday

The 44-year-old coach explained that the move was meant to show his commitment to the club and the city. “I wanted to immerse myself in the team and the city,” he said, joking about how the stripes didn’t exactly have a slimming effect on him.

The unusual choice quickly drew attention far beyond Germany. Kwasniok said that he will likely wear the black and gold third jersey at the next home game against Freiburg.

Köln 25-26 Away & Third Kits Released

Aug 15, 2025

It is not the first time that a German manager wears the kit of his club on the bench. Uwe Koschinat, manager of 3. Liga club Osnabrück, wore the third kit of the team last season.

Do you want to see more managers coaching in shirts? Let us know in the comments.