Adidas bans customisation of German football kits with '44' due to Nazi SS resemblance

Bongani Bingwa interviews Adam Gilchrist about this and other trending world news.

Listen below (skip to 01:37).

Adidas has prohibited football enthusiasts from customising the German national jersey with the number 44 due to its perceived resemblance to the symbol utilised by Nazi SS units during World War II.

"The Schutzstaffel (SS)," a paramilitary group of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, was responsible for the systematic genocide of Jewish people across Europe.

Established in 1929, the SS rune has become synonymous with some of the gravest atrocities committed by the Nazis, with members assigned to guard concentration camps, interrogate suspected traitors, and oversee extermination camps like Auschwitz, where over a million people perished.

Historian Michael König initially raised concerns over the jerseys, describing the kit's design as "very questionable."

Adidas spokesperson Oliver Brüggen refuted allegations that the kit's resemblance to Nazi symbols was deliberate, stating, "We as a company we are committed to opposing xenophobia, antisemitism, violence, and hatred in every form," and confirming, "We will block personalisation of the jerseys."

"It looks absolutely like the SS worn by the Nazi SS units."

- Adam Gilchrist

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