Adidas on 1st April 2024 banned football fans loyal to the Germany national team from purchasing the country’s Euro 2024 jerseys customized with the number 44 due to its resemblance to the symbol associated with World War Two-era Nazi SS units.
“We will block personalization of the jerseys,” Adidas spokesman Oliver Bruggen said.
The SS was a paramilitary force charged with implementing the genocide of millions of Jews across Europe.
The new kit, launched before Germany hosts the European Championship in June and July, debuted during their 2-0 friendly win over France in March 2024.
Historian Michael König was the first person to raise symbolic concerns about the design of the football kit, which he felt was ” very questionable.”
Similarities were flagged with the font of the number four, specifically when the figures are side by side where they resemble the lightning bolt style rune designed for the Schutzstaffel (SS) by Walter Heck in the 1930s.
However, Oliver Bruggen denied that the kit’s resemblance to the Nazi symbols was intentional.
“We as a company are committed to opposing xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in every form,” he said.
In a post on X, Germany’s football association the DFB said the shirt designs had been submitted to UEFA for review during the design process and that “none of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism”.
“Together with our partner 11teamsports, we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and coordinate it with UEFA,” DFB added.
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Nazi Symbol Linked to Germany Kits
The SS symbol was created in 1929 specifically for utilization by Nazi units.
Those affiliated with the SS varied from Gestapo agents to guards in concentration camps.
The SS undertook various responsibilities, including the administration of death camps, where millions of individuals, including Jews and other targeted groups, were systematically exterminated.
The selection of bright pink as the away color for the same kit has stirred further debate with supporters arguing that the color symbolizes the nation’s diversity.
However, critics argue that it deviates from tradition and may have been introduced to generate funds for the DFB.
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This is the second time in recent weeks that an international football kit has caused controversy.
England fans were critical of changes made to the St George’s cross on the back of the team’s shirt collar.
Adidas has been producing German jerseys since the 1950s.
Recently, the decision by the DFB to switch from Adidas, a German company, to the American sportswear giant Nike as the manufacturer of German football kits starting in 2027 has drawn criticism for its perceived lack of patriotism.
