’54, ’74, ’90, 2014: The DFB team wore Adidas jerseys for every World Cup title. The three European championship titles? Also in Adidas. Perhaps the change of supplier for the national soccer teams to the US manufacturer provokes such emotional reactions.
Politicians from the federal and state governments are speaking out and criticizing the alleged wrong decision by the German Football Association. “I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes. For me, Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together. A piece of German identity. I would have liked a bit more local patriotism,” said Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). .
Criticism of the DFB decision against Adidas
“This decision is incomprehensible and I have to honestly say it is also unpatriotic,” said CDU leader Friedrich Merz on Friday. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wrote on Platform X about a “wrong decision where commerce destroys a tradition and a piece of home.” The financially strapped DFB opted for the more lucrative offer from Nike – according to reports 100 million euros per year – and will say goodbye to Adidas at the end of 2026 after 77 years, which had recently paid 50 million per year.
“The three stripes are of course part of the four stars that we wear on our chests,” said Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU). However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was much more sober: “The Chancellor says: This is an autonomous decision of the German Football Association,” said deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner on Friday in Berlin.
Nike probably pays significantly more
The decision cannot be criticized from a purely economic point of view: Nike pays the DFB much more than Adidas, reports the “Handelsblatt”. But all football fans only know the German national team in jerseys, pants and often shoes from Adidas. So everyone loses a little bit of their childhood and youth – especially since the titles and the summer fairy tale of 2006 also coincide with the time in which Adidas dressed the DFB team. There have recently been tournaments that the national soccer team has finished earlier than usual. But who thinks back to that?
The Adidas era is ending for the DFB: time to look back.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
