Football fans will no longer be able to purchase customized Adidas German football jersey No. 44 following criticism over its resemblance to a Nazi symbol, Hypebeast reports.
Many have reportedly compared the font used on the No. 44 jerseys to the Armanen runic symbol of the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS).
The SS operated under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party and were known as one of the biggest perpetrators of the Holocaust. Historian Michael König was the first to point out the problem and called the design of the kits "very questionable."
Adidas spokesman Oliver Bruggen explained that any similarity was not intentional: “Adidas employs people from approximately 100 countries. Our company is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively oppose xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in all forms.”
Also, the company told the BBC that the design of this kit was the responsibility of the German Football Association (DFB) and its partners.
The DFB said the figures had been sent to UEFA for review and that "none of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the shirt design process." “However, we take comments very seriously and do not want to provide a platform for debate. We will develop an alternative design for number 44 and approve it with UEFA."
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