The sports apparel giant Adidas abruptly stopped the sale of German soccer jerseys created with the player number “44” this week because the figure, when depicted in the official lettering of the uniform’s design, too closely resembled a well-known Nazi symbol.
The emblem is one of dozens of Nazi symbols, phrases and gestures that are banned in Germany.
The country’s soccer federation, which is responsible for the design, said Monday any similarity to the logo created by the design’s numbering was unintentional.
“None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the creation process of the jersey design,” the DFB, the German Football Association, said in a statement on X on Monday.
4” was being created in time for use in the team’s coming games.
Persons:
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Organizations:
Adidas, SS, Schutzstaffel, Nazi, DFB, German Football Association
Locations:
European, Germany