As of: March 23, 2024, 5:25 a.m
By: Manuel Bonke, Philipp Kessler
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The Adidas exit from the DFB concerns the Football Republic of Germany.
Now ex-DFB director Oliver Bierhoff also comments on the German national team's Nike change.
Frankfurt - To understand how much the Adidas exit from the DFB concerns the football republic of Germany, the reactions from politicians show.
A few hours after it was announced that the German national team would be equipped by US giant Nike from 2027, Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) spoke up and complained: “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.”
Oliver Bierhoff responded to this on Linkedin on Friday afternoon: “The days of staying with a sponsoring partner out of patriotism are over.
We simply can't afford that anymore.
The former DFB director thinks: “By the way, politicians should stay out of the discussion.
You don't know the background and facts.
Where is the local patriotism in German economic policy?
I would have liked it to contribute more to local patriotism.
Instead, companies are leaving us because of high energy costs, high taxes and too much bureaucracy.
I consider such politicians’ comments to be own goals.” Rumms!
The association seemed surprised by the intensity of the debate and justified its change of supplier late on Thursday evening via X: “We understand every emotionality.
It is also a drastic event for us as an association when it becomes clear that a partnership that was and is characterized by many special moments is coming to an end after more than 70 years.
That doesn’t leave us indifferent.”
Nike should pay DFB 100 million per year
A sentence that one would have liked to have read in the official press release.
The true motives are explained quite quickly: According to Handelsblatt, Nike will pay 100 million euros per year to the DFB from 2027 to 2034, which is twice the amount that flows from Herzogenaurach to Frankfurt.
The brand with the three stripes would only have resulted in significant reductions in length.
Ex-DFB director Oliver Bierhoff criticizes politicians for the discussion about the Nike deal.
© Florian Schust/Imago
DFB chooses money over tradition
The DFB makes no secret of the fact that his move to Nike was made for purely financial reasons and justifies this, among other things, with his unique selling point.
In plain language this means: money instead of tradition.
The ZDF film “European Championship Millionaire Game – Last Chance for the DFB?”, which has been available in the media library since Friday afternoon, shows how badly the failure of the senior national team is affecting the association economically.
Treasurer Stephan Grunwald stated in the last financial report for 2022: “The DFB is supported financially in particular by the men’s national team.
If she is successful in sport, then the DFB will also do well financially.”
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DFB recorded a structural deficit of almost 20 million euros in June 2023
According to ZDF information, Volkswagen, the second important paymaster, also wants to put in the red pencil.
In 2023/24 the group will pay around 40 million euros.
This will now come to an end when the contract expires this year.
VW apparently only wants to transfer 18 million euros for sponsorship.
The DFB only announced a structural deficit of 19.5 million euros in June 2023.
However, he has introduced significant savings measures for 2024.
One cost factor is the 182 million euro academy, whose maintenance costs around 19 million euros a year, twice as much as previously thought.
Now, under the leadership of Alexander Wehrle, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DFB GmbH & Co. KG, there are new plans to make better use of the infrastructure.
The Cologne cellar is to move to Frankfurt.
Wehrle talks about organizing more events in the DFB's new home: "We have to set it up as a very clear profit center."
Nike wants to make German footballers global heroes again
In addition, the Nike coal is intended to put the DFB on more stable financial footing in the future.
According to CEO John Donahoe, with the deal the sporting goods giant has demonstrated its ability to turn the German team into a “global brand” and the footballers into “global heroes”.
Even though the national team had disappointed in recent major tournaments, Nike still praised the DFB as “a legendary global force in football.”
By the way: At least Bayern fans don't have to worry about the German record champions changing their long-time supplier and partner.
“I don’t know the details or the background, but I’m surprised that this decision was made by the DFB after a successful partnership spanning over 70 years,” says President Herbert Hainer of the
tz
.
The ex-Adidas boss continued: “For FC Bayern, Adidas has always been a very good and absolutely reliable partner, with whom the club has worked excellently for over 60 years now.”
Manuel Bonke, Philipp Kessler