The German football authorities have taken a stand against the use of the number ‘4’ on Adidas national shirts following controversy over its similarity to the symbol used by the SS, the Nazi paramilitary units. The German Football Association (DFB) made this decision after social media users pointed out the resemblance between the number ’44’ and the Schutzstaffel logo. The DFB announced that they will work with their partner 11teamsports to develop an alternative design for the number four and will submit it to UEFA for approval.
Although the number 44 is not currently used by the German men’s or women’s teams, Adidas allowed customers to personalize jerseys with any number from 00 to 99 and a name up to 10 letters long. Images of jerseys with the number ’44’ created through the online customization service were widely shared online. Adidas spokesperson Oliver Bruggen stated that the company will block the number 44 as quickly as possible, emphasizing their stance against xenophobia, anti-semitism, violence, and hate in any form.
As of Tuesday, Adidas has removed the option to customize German team jerseys from its websites while keeping it active for other nations’ kits. The company is committed to addressing this issue and ensuring that such controversies do not arise in the future.
