The situation, which went unnoticed at first, led the company in charge to look for a new design for the issue.
The German national team has decided to withdraw the national team jersey with number 44 from points of sale. . All this amid a series of criticism received due to the similarity of this number with one of the Nazi symbols banned in the country, such as the SS.
Through a press release, the German Football Association (DFB) clarified that it was in talks with suppliers to find a new design for the number. Additionally, the number 14 will be changed and they have clarified that no player will wear the number 44, since the jerseys will be numbered from 1 to 23 in the next European Cup.
Indeed, during the German team’s last friendly matches against France and the Netherlands, Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah used the number 4 and debutant Maximilian Beier, the number 14.
“According to community information on the jersey design: the DFB checks numbers 0 to 9 then sends numbers 1 to 26 to UEFA for review. None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the process of developing the t-shirt design. “, declared the German federation in a press release published on its social networks.
“However, we take this information very seriously and do not want to provide a platform for discussion. Together with our partner 11teamsports, we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and coordinate it with UEFA. “, they added.
Thus, Adidas removed the possibility of requesting a shirt with the number 44 on its website, as well as the number on sale in official stores.
The sports brand caught the attention of the press during the presentation of its new design, especially for the alternative version which mixes pink and blue colors .
Rebranding
It is worth remembering that a few weeks ago the German Football Association announced that Its historic alliance with Adidas will end in 2027 to make way for Nike , direct competition from the sportswear company. With the formalization of the commercial agreement, the Mannschaft will carry a brand other than the German one for the first time since 1954.
Thus, the four-time world champions end an era that began at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland and lasted more than 70 years.
“We look forward to working with Nike and the trust placed in us. The future partnership will enable the DFB to continue to carry out key tasks over the next decade towards the overall development of football in Germany. “, declared Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German Federation, on the occasion.
“Until December 2026, we will do everything possible to achieve joint success with our former and current partner Adidas, to whom German football has owed a lot for more than seven decades. “he added.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
