Football and racism: Germany and Adidas remove the number 44 shirts from the market due to their resemblance to a Nazi symbol

The German Football Association e adidas They stopped selling national team jerseys with the number 44 due to their resemblance to the national team logo HHthe paramilitary forces of the Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler.

adidas on Monday it reported that it had stopped offering the service of customizing shirts with names and numbers, while the federation blocked the delivery of the number 44 in its online store.

The federation has made it known that it is looking for an alternative design for the number 4 together with its partner, 11teamsports.

“None of the parties involved noted any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the process of creating the T-shirt design,” the federation said on X, the former Twitter.

The decision to block the sale of number 44 after multiple rumors highlighted that the two four attachments evoked the symbols of the SS, used by the paramilitary group Schutzstaffel (protection forces) of the Nazi Party. The SS included police units, combat forces and others responsible for the concentration camps, where mass murders of civilians were committed during World War II. The SS symbol is banned in Germany.

The spokesperson for Adidas Oliver Bruggen He told DPA that the federation and 11teamsports were responsible for designing the names and numbers on the shirts.

“People from 100 countries work at Adidas. “Our company supports the promotion of diversity and inclusion and, as a company, we actively fight against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in all forms,” said Brüggen.

He continued: “Any attempt to promote points of view that cause conflict and are exclusive are not part of our values ​​as a brand.”

Finally, Brüggen said he “strongly rejects any suggestion that this was our intention.”

Germany will host the Eurocup from 14 June to 14 July.

Source: agencies