Nazi scandal over new German jersey – Adidas stops selling shirt number 44. The other goalkeeper looks particularly old on this goalkeeper goal

Apart from the much-discussed supplier change from Adidas to Nike before 2027, the DFB has made a good impression on the public in recent days. The commercial showcasing the new jerseys “exceeded expectations” with its response and reach, said Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen.

In addition, the pink away shirt achieved record sales. No other away shirt had such a good sales start. According to Brüggen, the home shirt is also “very popular”. Adidas did not want to reveal exactly what this means in terms of sales figures. Sportingly, things also went well under national coach Julian Nagelsmann in the two tests against France (2:0) and the Netherlands (2:1).

Numbers on sweater resemble Nazi symbols

However, another aspect of the new play clothes causes irritation. It’s not about the color combination or the design in general, but about the numbers of the jersey numbers.

Journalist Tobias Huch pointed out to X last week that the design of the number “4” in particular can cause irritation. This irritation becomes even greater when a fan wants to order the shirt number “44”. Because upon closer inspection you see an eerie resemblance to the forbidden SS rune.

The SS rune was the symbol of the Schutzstaffel, a terrorist organization that emerged from the Sturmabteilung of the Hitler regime from 1933 to 1945. The initial letters “SS” were later written and printed in runic form. The symbol is now banned in Germany. If you show or wear this, you are committing a criminal offense.

The “44” will not be visible on the field. No national player wears this number. For the German team, the numbers are assigned consecutively from 1 to 23. However, fans can personalize their jersey and create their own number and name, including 44.

Adidas stops selling DFB jersey number 44

Adidas initially introduced restrictions on names. It is not possible to cover a sweater with ‘Hitler’ or ‘Führer’. This is not in line with company guidelines.

Brüggen also made it clear to “Bild”: “We are going to close number 44 as quickly as possible.” That also happened faster than expected. On Monday, not only was the sale of jersey number 44 blocked, but the delivery of jerseys that had already been ordered was also stopped.

In a second quote, Brüggen continued: “Any attempt to promote divisive or exclusionary views is not part of our values ​​as a brand, and we firmly reject any suggestion that this was our intention. Our company stands for promoting diversity and inclusion.”

The DFB also responded to the tabloids. The association is said to have been unaware of the fuss surrounding the shirt number. At the same time, the DFB distanced itself from right-wing ideas and made it clear that it would not use the 44.