The German Football Association (DFB) on Monday said that it would change the typeface used on its shirts after one of the kit numbers drew comparisons to a Nazi symbol.
The No. 4 worn by national team players was said to bear a resemblance to the insignia of the Nazis’ elite SS corps.
“The DFB checks the numbers 0-9 and then submits the numbers 1-26 to UEFA for review,” the DFB said in a statement. “None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the creation process.”
Photo: AFP
Nonetheless, the DFB said that it did not want to “provide a platform for discussion.”
“Together with our partner 11teamsports, we will develop an alternative design for the number four and coordinate it with UEFA,” the DFB said.
Kit provider Adidas removed shirt personalization options for the German strip from its Web site on Monday afternoon, Bild reported.
The name and number personalization features were not available when a journalist visited the Web site on Monday evening.
Shirts with the No. 44 were at the center of the controversy, with the number set said to look most like the SS logo. Deliveries of shirts already ordered with the number had been stopped, Bild reported.
The new typeset was worn in recent friendlies against France and the Netherlands, as Germany prepare to host UEFA Euro 2024 in June and July.
The DFB caused a stir last month when it announced that it would be replacing Adidas as its kit provider from 2027.
The German outfitter, which has supplied the national team since the 1950s, is to make way for US sportswear giant Nike.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said