The DFB squad takes part in a team contest wearing pink.
The pink-colored away uniform of the German football national team has sparked controversy among right-wing groups, but it has now become a top-seller. The team will wear it during the home European Championship as well.
The German football national team will wear the pink away uniform in their second match against Hungary during the home European Championship's group stage. The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed this news to the SID. In their first match on Friday (9 p.m./ZDF, MagentaTV and in the ntv.de live ticker), they will play in the white home uniform against Scotland. Five days later, in their match against Hungary, they will play in the pink uniform. In the final match against Switzerland on June 23rd, they will switch back to their white uniform. There was earlier speculation that the DFB team would play all three games in the white home uniform.
When the pink uniform was first revealed, it generated a lot of discussion: Such a color is unmanly, people had said back then. The DFB and Adidas had anticipated the backlash and had planned a marketing campaign in response. In a video, someone asked, "Is that a women's uniform?", before national player Jule Brand replied in the pink uniform, "I don't know, it still doesn't look like eight EM titles to me." The women's team has won eight EM titles, while the men's team has won five.
However, the pink uniform's popularity is not just due to the marketing campaign. It is now a popular choice at international matches and public training sessions. In the past week, it was even sold out briefly. Adidas claims that the pink shirt set a new record for the best sales start of a German away uniform. The white home uniform is also a hit, according to Adidas.
The uniform has had no effect on the team's performance. In their last four international matches, Nagelsmann's team, wearing the pink uniform, remained undefeated. This includes a 2:1 win over Greece and a 2:1 win over the Netherlands. They won their previous two matches in white: a 2:0 victory against France and a 0:0 draw against Ukraine.
Just before the start of the home European Championship, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck praised the DFB team. Habeck called Nagelsmann's team "a showcase for the republic we love". "They play for Germany, and that's the friendly Germany in pink jerseys. What more do we want? It should be like that," he said to "Kicker". The players, the DFB, and the German sports officials will "clearly show their attitude". "That's worth all the honor."
Habeck was concerned about the racism revealed in a WDR survey last week. "How must someone feel who gives everything for their country and is still told that they don't belong because they have the wrong skin color? That's called racism, and many experience it every day," he said in his interview. The survey results were "bitterly disappointing." In a representative WDR survey, 20% of respondents stated that they would prefer more white players on the German national team. The survey results led to a heated debate.
"It's the friendly Germany in pink jerseys"
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The German football national team will don the popular pink Adidas uniform in their match against Hungary during the European Football Championship 2024. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck has praised the team, referring to them as "the friendly Germany in pink jerseys."
