Football fans will be prevented from buying Germany Euro 2024 kits with the number 44 on them amid concerns over unintended Nazi symbolism.
Manufacturers adidas have insisted similarities between the number and the logo of the SS are unintentional, but nonetheless confirmed personalised shirts carrying '44' will not be made available for sale. The SS was the arm of the Nazi party responsible for administering death camps amid other crimes.
"According to information from the community about the jersey design: The DFB checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to UEFA for review," the DFB ( German FA ) said in a statement. "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," they added. "Together with our partner 11teamsports, we will develop an alternative design for the number 4 and coordinate it with UEFA."
Unlike most club shirts, international shirts for major tournaments often carry numbers on the front as well as the back. While Euro 2024 squads will see players wear the numbers 1-23, personalisation of names and numbers has generally been allowed in the past.
"The DFB and its partner 11teamsports are responsible for the design of the names and numbers," adidas said in a statement. "We have blocked personalization of the jerseys in our online store.
"People from around 100 nations work at adidas, our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively campaign against xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence, and hatred in all forms.
"Any attempts to promote divisive or exclusionary views are not part of our values as a brand and we strongly reject any suggestions that this was our intention. Our company stands for promoting diversity and inclusion."
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Germany go into their home Euros after a run of underwhelming tournament results. They were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, while England knocked them out of Euro 2020 in the round of 16.
Julian Nagelsmann took over as manager in 2023 after Hansi Flick's dismissal, and the former Bayern Munich boss oversaw two victories over the March international break. A 2-0 win in France was followed by a narrow triumph over The Netherlands in Frankfurt, with Niclas Fullkrug scoring a late winner.
"We created a great atmosphere in the stadium at the end," Nagelsmann said after the second victory. "We desperately wanted to win and we took more risks than the opposition – I didn’t get that feeling in Austria in November for instance. The spirit felt totally different to November. We hope that it all comes together from the end of May until the middle of July"
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