Adidas to withdraw all German national team shirts with number 44 from sale
German sporting goods manufacturer responds to criticism of design and resemblance to Third Reich symbols
Sports goods manufacturer Adidas and the German Football Association (DFB) have responded to criticism of the design of the number 44 on the new shirt of the German national football team for Euro 2024 and made appropriate adjustments by withdrawing it from sale.
This was reported by the dpa news agency on Monday, 1 April, specifying the reason for the criticism: the number 44 on the back of the shirt resembles the SS runes from the heyday of National Socialism in Germany. The similarity was pointed out by journalist Tobias Huch on Twitter in late March.
German media outlets clarify that it was also forbidden to add the words "Fuhrer" and "Hitler" to the T-shirt's marketing. As early as the afternoon of 1 April, the official Adidas online store no longer allowed personalisation of shirts with your own name and number, and the DFB stopped delivering ordered combinations with the number 44 to its own online store.
"This does not comply with our personalisation rules. Please try something else," the Adidas website said when selecting products.
"The DFB and its partner 11teamsports are responsible for the design of the names and numbers," said Adidas spokesman Oliver Bruggen, answering questions from dpa. He noted that the sports goods manufacturer "opposes xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in any form," adding that "any attempt to promote divisive or marginalised views is not part of our values as a brand."
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