Football number is reminiscent of SS rune
Adidas removes number 44 from Germany’s European Championship jersey, DFB stops delivery
As of: 3:07 p.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Jonathan wore number four against France. The design is strongly reminiscent of the Germanic runic script
Source: AFP/FRANCK FIFE
Fans of the German national team can have their jersey personalized in the Adidas online shop. But from now on it is no longer possible to choose a shirt number. The reason for this is the font design. The DFB also reacted.
The German national team’s jersey caused a lot of discussion immediately after its release. The national team couldn’t compete in pink, some said, others found the bright color brave and beautiful. Julian Nagelsmann’s team won their debut game in pink against the Netherlands 2-1. Not only the victory, but above all the sales figures prove supplier Adidas right. “An away jersey has never been sold better after its presentation,” said Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen.
The excitement about the pink jersey has now subsided and the next trouble over the European Championship jerseys is already smoldering. According to information from “Bild”, Adidas is canceling its offer for fans to have the number 44 printed on jerseys in the online shop. In the current font design, this number is too reminiscent of the forbidden SS rune.
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In the Third Reich, the rune became the insignia of the SS in two versions, making it the most important symbol of the Nazis after the swastika. Showing, using and distributing the SS rune is unconstitutional in Germany.
No player will be able to wear this number during the European Championship as the DFB squad is numbered from one to 23. But in the online shop, fans who order a jersey can have their desired number and name printed. There were already understandable limits to personalization; Nazi terms such as “Führer” or the name Hitler are banned because they “do not correspond to the Adidas guidelines for personalization”.
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Now the number 44 is added. “We will close number 44 as quickly as possible. People from around 100 nations 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 forms. Any attempts to promote divisive or exclusionary views are not part of our values as a brand and we strongly reject any suggestions that this was our intention. Our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion,” said Adidas spokesman Brüggen to “Bild”. A little later, the German Football Association (DFB) also followed suit and stopped the delivery of combinations with the number 44 that had already been ordered in its own online shop.
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When asked by BILD, the DFB said that it was not aware of the excitement surrounding the number 44. But the DFB also makes it clear that, like Adidas, it distances itself from any right-wing ideas and the number 44 will not be used.