German soccer fans banned from buying No. 44 kits due to Nazi symbolism
Number 4 will be redesigned due to similarity to SS insignia
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This was no April Fools’ Day joke.
Adidas has banned fans from customizing its newly released German football kits with the No. 44 after it was the pointed out that the numbers resemble the symbol used for Nazi SS units around the Second World War.
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German soccer fans banned from buying No. 44 kits due to Nazi symbolism Back to video
SS units were responsible for many crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis, with officers ranging from Gestapo agents to concentration camp guards with duties that included administering death camps where millions were killed.
“We will block personalization of the jerseys,” an Adidas spokesman said on Monday.
According to the BBC, historian Michael Konig first raised the issue over the symbolism, saying the design of the kits was “very questionable.”
Another Adidas spokesman denied that the kit’s resemblance to the Nazi symbols was intentional.
“We as a company are committed to opposing xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in every form,” he said.
Adidas reportedly claimed that the German Football Association (DFB) and its partners had designed the numbers on the shirts and said an alternate design for the No. 4 would be developed.
The DFB also said that the shirt designs had been reviewed by UEFA during the design process and that “none of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism.”
Soccer fans on Reddit also pointed out that the site had a name filter in place for the shirts, but it wasn’t working as intended.
“They’ve also got a terrible name filter in place, so if your name’s Adolfo you can’t have that,” one commenter said.
“Der Fuhrer on the other hand, absolutely fine.”
As of Tuesday morning, the jerseys are still available for purchase on Adidas’ website, but no customization is allowed.
While Adidas has manufactured German jerseys since the 1950s, the DFB recently announced that it would be moving over to Nike in 2027, following the 2026 World Cup.
Germany’s economy minister Robert Habeck blasted the move for lacking “patriotism.”
This summer the country hosts the European Championship, which kicks off June 14 when it takes on Scotland.
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