The German football federation (DFB) and Adidas have announced that they will redesign the number four on the national team’s new kits due to an unfortunate resemblance to the Nazi party’s “SS” unit logo.
The Germany men’s national team debuted the new kits over the recent international break. Fans quickly noticed that when customizing a jersey online, the No. 44 looked quite similar to the logo used by the Schutzstaffe — a paramilitary unit responsible for some of the worst atrocities of World War Two.
Ahead of hosting Euro 2024 this summer, the DFB and Adidas moved quickly to ensure the mistake would be corrected.
A statement posted on the official DFB account on X said: “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 development process of the jersey design.
“Nevertheless, we take the information very seriously and do not want to provide a platform for discussions. Together with our partner 11teamsports, we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and coordinate it with UEFA.”
The “SS” logo is a banned symbol in Germany.
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