Germany to change national team jersey over Nazi symbolism concerns
Sportswear giant Adidas says it will remove number 44 from its range of customisation options
Bengaluru — The design for the number four on Germany’s national team shirts will be changed over concerns that it resembled the symbol used by Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) units, the German Football Association (DFB) said on Monday.
The new kit, launched before Germany host the European Championship in June and July, debuted during their 2-0 friendly win over France last month.
“The DFB checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to Uefa for review. None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the creation process of the jersey design,” the DFB said in a statement on X.
“Nevertheless, we take the comments very seriously and do not want to provide a platform for discussions... we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and co-ordinate it with Uefa.”
SS units were responsible for the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis in World War 2.
The DFB’s official supplier Adidas had earlier said that it would remove the number 44 from its range of customisation options.
“We will block the number 44 as quickly as possible,” Adidas spokesperson Oliver Bruggen told German media. “As a company we actively oppose xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in any form.”
Reuters