The national team shirt scandal in Germany: reminiscent of Nazi symbolism | Sports

The DFB announced on Monday that the design of the number 4 on the newly released shirt will be changed.

The reason for this is the images and comparisons that have spread on the Internet comparing the number 44 on the German jersey with the symbol of the Nazi special unit (SS) organization.

Although no player in the German national team wears the number 44 kit, the Germans reacted quickly to the situation.

“The DFB checks all the numbers from 0 to 9 and then sends the numbers from 1 to 26 to UEFA for verification. None of the countries saw any resemblance to Nazi symbolism when designing the shirts. However, we take comments very seriously and do not want to leave room for speculation. We will create an alternative version of the number ‘4’ and agree on it with UEFA,” the German federation said in a statement.

The clothing manufacturer Adidas also took action, announcing that it would block the sale of the number 44 shirt.

The Nazi SS organization was active before and during World War II. It consisted of the police and special forces of fighters who controlled the concentration camps and carried out mass killings of civilians.

The SS symbol, like other Nazi symbols, is banned in Germany.

The Germans will play in this year’s European Championship, which will be held in Germany, with the newly introduced outfits.