The 2024 European Championship, aka EURO 2024, is just over two months away, and kit manufacturers and competing nations are doing all they can to boost merchandise sales before the event kicks off. All jersey manufacturers, including German sportswear giant Adidas, have released the latest threads sponsored teams will be sporting during the month-long extravaganza in Germany. Unfortunately for the host nation, things have not gone according to plan.
Germany & Adidas Face Backlash Over The Appearance Of No. ’44’
Last month, Adidas unveiled Germany’s latest home and away shirts for EURO 2024, amid much fanfare. Initially, it looked like a routine launch, but things quickly went south after some fans discovered that the number ’44’ on the new jerseys bore an ill-fated resemblance to the logo used by the infamous Nazi SS units.
When customized with the number ’44’, it looked identical to the ‘lightning bolts’ symbol used by the SS units. As per the Daily Mail, Soldiers belonging to the SS units were responsible for some unspeakable crimes against humanity during World War II.
Adidas Will Redesign The Appearance Of No. ‘4’ For EURO 2024 Kits
The German Football Association (DFB), has come up with a response to the comparisons, claiming they check numbers ‘0-9’ and send ‘1-26′ to UEFA for review, meaning the controversial ’44’ would not have made an appearance at EURO 2024 anyway.
In their statement, the governing body of soccer in Germany claimed they did not take such complaints lightly and had already instructed Adidas to redesign the font.
Their statement read (via the Daily Mail):
“The DFB checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to UEFA for review. None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the creation process of the jersey design.
“Nevertheless, we take the comments very seriously and do not want to provide a platform for discussions… we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and coordinate it with UEFA.”
Since redesigning required a lot more planning, Adidas initially responded to the comparisons by removing the number from customization options. Now, with a redesign in the works, Adidas can safely make the new number ’44’ available to the fans, pending approval from UEFA.
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