Adidas had to retire the number 44 on the German national team jersey. What was the reason?

Starting from today, the fans of the German national team will not be able to purchase the "Die Mannschaft" jersey with the number 44 from the Adidas official store.

This decision stems from the font style used, where the number 44 on the new German national team jersey bears a striking resemblance to the emblem of the SS during World War II.

Initially, users on the social network X noticed this similarity and made it public. As a result, Adidas had to withdraw jerseys with the number 44 from circulation.

It's worth noting that players will not be able to wear the number 44 even in theory during the UEFA Euro 2024 championship. Team rosters for the tournament can only include numbers from 1 to 23. If the squad size is expanded to 26, then the numbers should range from 1 to 26.

It is worth recalling that recently, the German Football Association (DFB) officially announced the end of their over 70 years of partnership with Adidas, and Nike will be the new technical sponsor moving forward.