Adidas unveiled on Thursday March 18 the outfits that the athletics and handball federations will wear at the Paris Olympic Games, in addition to those of several national Olympic committees and its sneaker ranges. The opportunity for Frenchman Mathieu Sidokpohou, general manager of Adidas Europe, to answer questions from Le
Figaro
on the news of the brand with the three stripes. And in particular the controversy surrounding the “44” printing on the new jersey of the German football team. Many Internet users had noted the number's resemblance to the acronym used by Nazi SS units. The number was withdrawn from sale and the design of the
“4”
changed.
“Obviously, it’s on an Adidas jersey, but it’s not us who created the design,” explains Mathieu Sidokpohou. Everything that is a number is created by a partner, 11 sports teams, with the German federation. We removed it and we will draw the consequences.”
Oliver Bruggen, Adidas spokesperson, told German media in early April that the company
“actively opposes xenophobia, anti-Semitism, violence and hatred in all their forms.”
Germany goes to Nike
For its part, the German Federation (DFB) explained in early April on the social network X:
“The DFB checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to UEFA for examination. None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the process of creating the jersey design.”
The boss of Adidas Europe also reacted to the loss of the historic contract which linked the brand to the German football team since 1950. The German Federation signed with the American rival Nike for the period 2027-2034.
“It’s an emotional partnership of 77 years, which counts,”
he assures.
This choice of the German federation must be respected. For now, we are focusing on the extremely important events to come, the Men's Euro, the Women's Euro and the World Cup. What we want to do is be the best partner.”
In an interview with AFP, Bjørn Gulden, Norwegian CEO of the brand, considered
the sum promised by Nike to win this historic contract
“inexplicable”
. The German daily
Handelsblatt
mentions an amount of 100 million euros per year, double what Adidas currently pays.
The Blues jersey as revenge?
Mathieu Sidokpohou prefers to focus on the
“fantastic”
launch of the jerseys that the Mannschaft will wear during the Euro (June 14-July 14) played at home, and in particular this
“incredible”
purple away jersey.
“We are trying to rediscover the enthusiasm around German football with the DNB. For now, it's working. In addition, they beat France (in a friendly match on March 23). It gave them a little extra momentum.”
The end of the partnership sparked outrage in Germany, stronghold of the three-stripe brand. The decision to choose Nike rather than the national flagship does not pass. Adidas could, however, take revenge on its American rival by seizing the French team jersey. The FFF, linked to Nike since 2011 after having been equipped by Adidas from 1972 to 2010, will launch its call for tenders for the period 2026-2034. Asked about this possibility, Mathieu Sidokpohou did not wish to comment. Bjørn Gulden indicated for his part that the brand with the three stripes would make an offer at
“an appropriate price”
and will make
“offers where it makes sense, at a price that suits us and, beyond that, we will not participate ".