Nike won the latest battle against Adidas and in Germany they see it as a “betrayal of the country”

The announcement of German Football Association (DFB) Thursday 21 March a new contract with Nike starting in 2027to the detriment of its historical partner adidas, shows how much the American giant was gaining ground in the battle between these two great sports brands. The DFB has since come under harsh criticism for its decision to end its relationship with the big German brand after seventy years, thus saying goodbye, in the majority opinion, to a large part of its German identity.

“I can’t imagine the German jersey without the three stripes,” said the Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor. Roberto Habeck in statements cited by German media. “Adidas and Germany are part of a whole for me. “I would have liked a little economic patriotism,” she added.

Although it is strategic for Nike as a company, For the Germans they feel it as a betrayal of the country., given that the American company also dresses the English football team, Germany’s historic rival. According to the Germans “German football is pure homeland and not a chip in the game of international consortia“, as the Bavarian Prime Minister rightly stated, Markus Soder. In a flash poll conducted by the newspaper “Bild”, in which 400,000 people participated, 85 percent declared themselves against the DFB’s decision.

Originally, Umbrian It was the brand that historically dressed the English team. That national team accompanied the English team in its only world title, on home soil in 1966. Umbro’s results were not convincing after the 2006 World Cup and Two years later it was purchased by Nike. Since then, its rivalry with Adidas began to sow.

Not only the four-time world champion “Mannschaft”, but also the German women’s and youth teams are included in the contract which will bring an end to an era full of shared success.

Spokesmen for the government and the Ministry of the Interior (responsible for Sport) have tried to calm the controversy by believing that it is “an autonomous decision of the national federation“. Chancellor Olaf Scholzwas consulted about the agreement which, according to the financial newspaper “Handelsblatt”, he will report to the DFB an income of 100 million euros per year, double what Adidas pays.

“We understand that the issue has an emotional side. For us it is also a before and after, when a successful collaboration ends after more than seventy years,” the DFB shared on its X account.

This isn’t the first time Nike has used Adidas. In 2008, the French Football Federation (FFF) opened a period to submit offers to dress their teams and Nike did not miss the opportunity. With a proposal of 320 million euros for seven yearsNike stripped Adidas of the contract it had with France since 1972 and in 2011 began to dress the Gauls.

Four stars for as many world titles and 70 years later, The German brand Adidas loses the contract with the national team of its country. And the winner is none other than Nike, which obtains the agreement for the period 2027-2034.

The impact is huge for Adidas and has sparked debate in Germany since Thursday the end of a relationship that seemed indestructible and whose history dates back to the first World Cup won by the Mannschaft in 1954.

The Adidas group, whose contract with the DFB runs until the end of 2026, confirmed its misfortune in a statement on Thursday, underlining that it had been informed of the change of collaborator. In any case, he will continue to dress Germany at this year’s European Championships.to be played in that country, and at the 2026 World Cup, if the team qualifies.

On the other hand, Adidas was the official collaborator of the Albiceleste in their last two world titlesthose of 1978 and 2022. Furthermore, since 2006, it has the Argentine star Lionel Messi like one of his spearheads.

After losing the deal with Germany, Argentina and Spain seem to be the two most relevant for the German brand.