The German Football Federation is changing the design of its national team's Adidas uniforms after claims that the number 44 on the jersey resembles a Nazi symbol.
German Football Federation (DFB) announced on social media The organization and its partner, online sporting goods store 11 Team Sports, have released an alternate design for the number 4 after fans noticed similarities between the custom No. 44 jersey and the No. 4 logo. announced that it plans to develop it. schutz staff – Adolf Hitler’s infamous militia.
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The DFB takes the matter “very seriously” after people on social media used Adidas' online customization service to create shirts with the number 44 and showed how similar they looked. He said that The Schutzstaffel SS symbol looks like two lightning bolts. Currently, no player on either the men's or women's soccer roster wears his number 44, so he had to create a jersey using his personalization tools.
“None of the parties involved recognized any similarities to Nazi symbolism during the development process of the jersey design,” the federation said in X. The DFB said it checked jersey numbers from 0 to 9 and then submitted numbers 1 to 26 to governing body UEFA.European soccer organizations, for review. The German Football Federation will make the changes in coordination with UEFA.
Adidas said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday that DFB and 11teamsports are “responsible” for the design of the name and number. The sports apparel company also told CBS News it is blocking “personalization of jerseys in our online store.”
Adidas said: “We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively stand against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in all its forms.”
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The DFB unveiled the uniform in March, and the men's national team debuted the kit against France. The jersey will be worn by the team at the 2024 UEFA European Championship in Germany.
The controversy over Adidas jerseys comes as Nike is set to become Germany's official shirt supplier from 2027. Adidas has been part of the German soccer team for many years and has been associated with the team for almost 70 years.
