The German sporting goods brand Adidas and the German Football Federation (DFB) announced this Monday the withdrawal of the number 44 of the German national team’s shirt in their online store, because the font chosen for the numbers is too reminiscent of the rune of the Schutzstaffel or ‘SS’ from the Nazi period.
From the company they explained that “the DFB and its partner 11teamsports are responsible for the design of the names and numbers.” “We are going to block the number 44 as quickly as possible,” said Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen.
“People from around 100 countries work at Adidas, our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion and, as a company, we actively campaign against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in all its forms,” he explained to a question from the German Press Agency.
«Any attempt to promote divisive or exclusive points of view is not part of our values as a brand. “The company strongly rejects any suggestion that this was our intention,” he continued.
Controversial numbers
When ordering the number 44, or another name related to Nazism, a message appears on the website warning: “This does not meet our customization guidelines. Please try something else.
The new jersey, with which the Germans will play at Euro 2024, was presented shortly before the two matches against France and the Netherlands at the end of March. The marketing campaign was accompanied by advertisements that obtained a very positive response, local media highlight. With RT