Newcastle United players were summoned to the touchline for a kit change during their friendly against Bayer Leverkusen at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon, after a colour clash became apparent early in the match.
Leverkusen wore a light blue strip, while Newcastle's home shirts feature a prominent white panel on the reverse, making the two sets of players look frustratingly similar from behind. Although referee Michael Oliver had approved the kits, the issue was noticed by Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle and his coaching staff.
Hydration break triggers change
When the sides paused for a hydration break, which was booed by the home fans, Jaissle turned to his kit personnel and tugged at his own shirt, signalling that he wanted a change in colour. Consequently, Newcastle players abandoned their new home strip on 24 minutes and switched to the new third kit to complete the remainder of the first half.
Despite keeping their black shorts and socks, Newcastle players donned their lilac third strip to complete an unusual look that Newcastle fans are unlikely to see again. The backs of the players' shirts also had only numbers, and not their names.
Level at half-time
Jaissle's side went into half-time level despite conceding inside the first 45 seconds of the clash. Ibrahim Maza scored in the first minute for the German club before Malick Thiaw levelled for the hosts with a header from a set-piece shortly before the break.
Notoriously, Manchester United also did something comparable in 1996 when Sir Alex Ferguson protested that a grey away kit clashed with the backdrop of the home supporters at Southampton during a 3-1 defeat. That afternoon, while 3-0 down at half-time, Man United discarded the grey shirts for a blue and white kit at the interval at The Dell in one of the most peculiar moments in Premier League history.
Final warm-up match
Newcastle's match against Leverkusen is their final warm-up match for the 2026-27 Premier League season. They kick off against Liverpool next Sunday at St James' Park.
