Germany 2022 World Cup Kits Feature Ditched "Die Mannschaft" Branding - Here's Why
A while back we reported about the Germany national team ditching their controversial "Die Mannschaft" ("The Team") slogan. However, as was noted by many when Germany released their new 2022 World Cup kits, the slogan still appears on those jerseys.
Sportbuzzer investigated this seemingly odd situation and managed to find out what exactly is going on.
First off, it's important to note that the "Die Mannschaft" slogan had been unpopular with local supporters ever since it was introduced back in 2015, with fans lamenting it being a sign of creeping commercialization. It didn't help that it wasn't a name that the team was commonly referred to in Germany, either.
This lead to DFB officially retiring the branding, a move that was announced in late July.
Nevertheless, the branding makes an appearance on the inner collar of both the 2022 World Cup home and away shirts, at least in the expensive "authentic" variant. The slogan is printed across the inner neck, with four stars placed above it commemorating Germany's World Cup titles.
Adidas speaker Oliver Brüggen had the following to say: "The decision not to use the lettering 'Die Mannschaft' will of course be taken into account in future collections. Basically, the creation of a collection takes around two years. We are in regular contact with the DFB."
The fact that the "Die Mannschaft" lettering is present on the authentic shirts has to do with the long lead time in the production of these jerseys, which had already been produced when the DFB announced that they would discontinue the slogan, according to Brüggen.
So, if you are a fan of "Die Mannschaft", this is your last chane to get an official shirt with this controversial and discontinued slogan being a part of it.
Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below.
