“A disaster”: DFB jerseys become slow sellers – recycling at home EM 2024?

Created: 12/17/2022, 3:10 p.m

By: Vincent Fischer

The German retail trade is desperate with the low demand for World Cup merchandise - and demands: The DFB jerseys should be sort of recycled.

Munich – The 2022 World Cup ended in a fiasco for German football in several respects.

After the embarrassing elimination of the preliminary round - the second in a row at a World Cup - the national team has reached a new sporting low.

Fan interest is not unaffected by this negative development.

World Cup 2022: "A disaster" - No interest in Germany jerseys

Compared to the last World Cup, the TV ratings for the group games with German participation were pretty meager (WM 2022 live on TV).

There was hardly any real World Cup fever in Germany.

This also has consequences for retail.

Because the jerseys of the German national team in particular have become real slow sellers.

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Just last summer, outfitter Adidas presented the new jersey for the DFB team.

The special feature: For the first time, the women's and men's national team of the DFB wear uniform jerseys.

However, the dress has not become a bestseller, quite the opposite.

According to the German Retail Association (HDE), sales of merchandising products for the World Cup have been “a disaster” compared to other World Cups.

"The prices are in the basement, no one wants to buy the jerseys": German retailers are desperate

"This year, the demand for merchandising items has reached an all-time low," complains HDE President Alexander von Preen in an interview with the newspapers of the

.

The DFB jerseys in particular are slow sellers: “There are still a lot of unsold items.

The prices for them are in the basement, no one wants to buy the jerseys.” The operators of sports shops also observed the low level of interest in World Cup products.

The current jersey of the German national team has become a slow seller.

The trade is now demanding that the design be retained until the home EM 2024 - for reasons of sustainability.

© IMAGO / Ulmer/Team photo

Because of the low sales figures, von Preen has a suggestion: he wants to “recycle” the current World Cup jersey, so to speak.

Normally, a new jersey is presented before every international tournament - i.e. about every two years.

If the trade has its way, this time should be different.

"It wouldn't make sense to shred the goods en masse," says von Preen.

"This is also about the sustainable use of resources and setting an example."

Experiment reveals breakdown in recycled DFB jersey: plastic waste ends up directly in the sea

The proposal is not new: Premier League club Brentford FC will play with the same kit design as last season this season.

It is clear that von Preen is not only thinking about environmental protection and setting an example: If the DFB releases a new jersey, it would cost the trade a lot of money.

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The outfitters have long since jumped on the sustainability train.

The jersey of the DFB-Elf should consist of 100 percent recycled plastic waste.

However, when the jerseys are washed, some of them end up in the oceans, as an experiment has shown.