Such a ban has been imposed on Germans by the sports equipment manufacturer “Adidas”, which supplies clothes to the German Football Association (DFB). Adidas recently developed a new design for the team’s playing uniforms.
The new uniforms have received good reviews, but keen-eyed fans have noticed a problem with the number 4. Namely, the number 44 resembles the SS logo, which is the symbol of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). Its sub-organizations were complicit in the Holocaust.
Although no German national team players have used this number in recent years, those who want it will not be able to get it, as Adidas decided to ban it completely. True, fans can order it online.
“We forbid the use of the number 44,” Adidas spokesman Olver Bruggen told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper, adding that the company completely distances itself from Nazism.
“Adidas employs people from around 100 countries. Our company stands for promoting diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively fight against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and all forms of hatred,” he said.
“Adidas” will supply game uniforms for the German national football team until 2027. After that, the contractual obligations with the company “Nike” will come into force.
