“Adidas” will no longer sell shirts of the German football team with the number 44 – reminiscent of the Nazi symbol / Article

The SS symbol was developed in 1929. It was widely used by Gestapo agents and concentration camp guards. The duties of the SS unit included the administration of the death camps where millions of Jews and other people were killed.

“Adidas” representatives stated that the similarity of the numbers with Nazi symbols is a coincidence, as the company categorically stands against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and any form of hatred.

“Any attempt to promote division or exclusion in society is not part of our brand values, and we strongly reject any suggestion that this was our intention,” company spokesman Oliver Bruggen said.

The company also said that the design of the shirts, including the shape of the numbers, was developed by the German Football Association and its partners.

The German Football Federation, on the other hand, justified itself by saying that the uniforms of the German national football team had previously been sent for approval to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and “none of those involved in the process have seen a similarity with Nazi symbols”. However, the federation has decided that a new design will be developed for the number 4.

Historian Michael Koenig was the first to draw attention to the similarity of number 44 of the German national football team to the “SS” symbol. He pointed out that such a design “raises big questions from a historical point of view” – especially in the year when the final tournament of the European Football Championship will be held in Germany.

The new kits were unveiled last month when Germany beat France 2-0 in a friendly and are also set to be worn in the finals of the European Championship.

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