Comment on the change of supplier at the DFB – sexy underwear
imago images/Marc Atkins
Video: Fritz | 03/22/2024 | News | Image: imago images/Marc Atkins
From 2027, the German national football team will no longer wear Adidas jerseys. A decision that sparked enormous criticism. And that is completely correct. A comment from Ilja Behnisch
Who would have thought it, but apparently all it takes for politicians in the traffic light coalition to really agree is a football jersey. Of course not just any, but the most glorious piece of material in the Federal Republic, the jersey of the German national football team.
The German Football Association announced on Thursday that from 2027 this will no longer be provided by the German company Adidas, but by the American company Nike. “Scandal” was soon shouted from all corners. And suddenly it’s not just SPD Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (“Wrong decision, where commerce is destroying a tradition and a piece of homeland.”) and Green Party Economics Minister Robert Habeck (“I would have liked a bit more local patriotism.”) who agree. No, even Christian Democrats practice solidarity with their political opponents.
For example, Hesse’s CDU Prime Minister Boris Rhein said: “The world champion wears Adidas and not some American fantasy brand.” Which of course he is right. The reigning world champion Argentina is actually equipped with the three stripes by the company. The former Hessian sports minister Rhein could explain why Nike, by far the largest sporting goods manufacturer in the world, should be a “fantasy brand”.
He may find inspiration in Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder. Söder, a Franconian like Adidas, wrote on “X”: “The national team plays in three stripes – that was as clear as the fact that the ball is round and a game lasts 90 minutes. The success story began in 1954 with the unforgettable World Cup victory, who gave our country self-confidence again.”
The DFB depends on the money
Yes, my answer to the winner of the “Sparlöwen” 2013 is almost correct. Adidas founder Adi Dassler was there as a kind of equipment supervisor at the “Miracle of Bern”. The jerseys, however, were made by G. & A. Leuze from Pfullingen near Reutlingen. A family business that later became the property of Erima. Which brings us full circle when Robert Habeck says: “I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes.” Which is astonishing, because during the 1978 World Cup, the first tournament that Habeck, who was born in 1969, was likely to have consciously noticed, the DFB players wore: Erima.
Now you can probably still feel the sadness that the national football team, the flagship of German sport, will no longer be equipped by a German company from now on. Although one might then ask why she advertises Nutella (Italy) and not Nudossi. Or why she eats pasta (!) and not potatoes. Just as one could ask where the outcry was when the German national ice hockey team tied up with “Bauer” (Canada) or the German national basketball team (reigning world champions!!!) with “Peak” (China). However, there are good reasons why the DFB has now decided against Adidas. The most important one: dear money.
The rumored 100 million euros that Nike will pay the DFB annually in the future is not only somehow a little higher than the around 50 million euros that Adidas has paid so far. In addition, Adidas is said to have no longer been willing to pay 50 million euros per year. And Volkswagen also wants to transfer only 18 million per year instead of the previous 40 million per year, as ZDF claims to have learned. Which is why the DFB felt compelled to explain to Karl Lauterbach and Co. in a statement what is happening with the money.
Finally a transparent process
“The DFB has a unique selling point: It is a sports association that finances its member associations and the base in the amateur sector and is not financed by them. It puts the money into football. So that football remains a popular sport,” it said in a statement to “X”.
For the largest sports association in the world with over seven million members, the additional income from the new contract is a welcome blessing in financially difficult times. Supporters of German football should be happy about the switch to Nike, especially since, as Philipp Köster, founder and editor-in-chief of the football magazine 11Freunde, wrote on “X”, “after long, long years, a transparent bidding process was finally held and no deals were made in men’s evening meetings were bagged.”
In terms of sport, however, the historic step could definitely backfire. Ask Hertha BSC. The “Old Lady” has been outfitted by Nike since 1999. Since then, the capital club from Charlottenburg has never been as good as Adidas (1977/78, 1992-94, 1996-99) and Puma (1979-1991). On the other hand: always good when there is someone to blame. The politicians in the traffic light coalition can certainly agree on this.
Broadcast: Fritz, March 22, 2024, 6:15 p.m