Adidas blocks sale of Germany jerseys with number 44 over Nazi link
Athletic apparel manufacturer Adidas and the German Football Federation (DFB) have blocked the sale of Germany national team jerseys with the number 44 in response to criticism of the design, which is reminiscent of a Nazi symbol.
"We will block the personalization of the jerseys in our online store," Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen told dpa earlier on Monday.
As of Monday afternoon, it wasn't possible to personalize the jerseys with one's own name and number anymore in the Adidas online shop. The DFB, meanwhile, has stopped the delivery of jerseys with the number 44 already ordered in its own online shop.
Social media users recently noticed that the number 44 in the new design, presented last month, looks like the logo of the Schutzstaffel (SS), a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Adidas was sharply criticized, but Brüggen said that "the DFB and its partner 11teamsports are responsible for the design of the names and numbers."
The DFB said that an alternative design for the number four is now to be developed together with 11teamsports. The federation added that is double-checking numbers zero to nine, before submitting numbers 1 to 26 to the European football ruling body UEFA for examination.
Certain names relating to the National Socialism couldn't be ordered already before the controversy. "This does not comply with our guidelines for personalization. Please try something else," appears as a message when making a selection.
"People from around 100 nations work at Adidas, our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively oppose xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in any form," Brüggen said.
"Any attempts to promote divisive or marginalizing views are not part of our values as a brand." The company "firmly rejects any suggestion that this was our intention."
