The German football federation and Adidas have stopped the sale of Germany jerseys with the number 44 because of a resemblance to the logo of the Nazi Party's notorious SS paramilitary units.

Adidas on Monday stopped offering the personalisation of jerseys with names and numbers, and the federation halted the delivery of jerseys with the No. 44 from its own online shop.

The federation said it was looking for an alternative design for the number 4 together with its partner, 11teamsports.

“None of the parties involved saw any proximity to Nazi symbolism in the development process of the jersey design,” the federation said on X, formerly Twitter.

The moves to withdraw jerseys with number 44 came after it was pointed out that the two fours together resembled the stylized SS used by the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel group. Commonly known as the SS, it included police units, combat forces and others who ran the concentration camps that carried out the mass killings of civilians during World War II.

The stylised SS symbol is banned in Germany now.

Adidas spokesman Oliver Brüggen said that the federation and 11teamsports were responsible for the design of the names and numbers on the shirts.

“Our company stands for the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and as a company we actively campaign against xenophobia, antisemitism, violence and hatred in all forms,” Brüggen said.