DFB’s Nike deal stirs politics
Bierhoff brushes off Merz and Habeck
March 23, 2024, 9:15 a.m
From 2027, the DFB national teams will play in Nike, long-time partner Adidas is out. This change triggers numerous reactions. Former national team manager Oliver Bierhoff gives an insight into the development and chooses clear words in the direction of outraged politicians.
Nike has been digging for years, now the “Swoosh” has conquered the DFB jersey. Oliver Bierhoff revealed in an interview with “Spiegel” how aggressive the global company from Beaverton, Oregon, was in its fight against Adidas. In 2007, Nike offered the German Football Association “far more than four times what they got from Adidas,” said the former DFB director. Nevertheless, the decision was in favor of the Franconians. “Back then, people didn’t dare to take the plunge. The fact that it’s happening now shows that economic aspects are taken more into account in the evaluation than before,” said Bierhoff, once a brand ambassador for Nike himself.
Despite his past on behalf of the US company, Bierhoff claims to have a neutral and sober view of the jersey swap, which caused a stir far beyond the football scene. “Basically, I have a strong connection to both companies, I became European champion in 1996 wearing an adidas jersey and they were also our supplier for our World Cup title in 2014,” explained Bierhoff.
The 55-year-old predicts: “German football is on the verge of a turning point. It is faced with the question: What is emotion and tradition?” Bierhoff described the criticism from some politicians such as Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (“I would have liked more local patriotism”) or CDU leader Friedrich Merz (“The decision is unpatriotic”) as “pure populism”.
Bierhoff: German and tradition are not values in themselves
Various other politicians also had their say, including Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (“German football is pure home”), Thuringia’s state leader Bodo Ramelow (“Reducing only money and dollar signs really gets on my nerves”) and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (“Commerce destroys a tradition and a piece of home”). Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein even described Nike as an “American fantasy brand”.
Bierhoff was unimpressed by this “homeland” discussion that had once been initiated. Arguments like “that’s German and that’s tradition” “could no longer count on their own.” Instead, “sport is often used as a platform by politicians.” His advice: “Politicians should stay out of this discussion, they don’t even know the background.”
DFB treasurer Stephan Grunwald told Capital that the association had “effectively no choice” because the offers from Adidas and Nike were so far apart.
He said “very clearly: If we had given the offer to Adidas as it was on the table and justified this with arguments such as the long partnership, trust and loyalty, then I would probably have the public prosecutor in the house today Even if the DFB had absolutely wanted to keep Adidas, it would not have been possible based on the offers available.” And then addressed Habeck directly: “I also expect a Federal Minister of Economics to know something like that.”
“Professional football has of course become fully commercialized”
Bierhoff also emphasized that the deal with Nike would help the cash-strapped DFB out of trouble. “I’m assuming that in any case. Even if the deal doesn’t take place for another three years, you can now take a deep breath and plan completely differently. That will take a burden off the association’s shoulders,” said Bierhoff. The DFB “comes from a difficult time in sports and economics. The offer shows that German football and the national team are still interesting for partners.”
During his time at the DFB, Bierhoff aggressively marketed the flagship national team. For this he drew some heavy criticism. “I am still convinced that a brand like ‘The Team’ still generates interest internationally. I always thought the whole debate about it was nonsensical,” said Bierhoff: “We have to be honest: of course sport is in the foreground, But we have also become fully commercial in professional football.”
The former striker and two-time goalscorer in the 1996 European Championship final worked for the DFB for 18 years. After the preliminary round exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he had to leave the association. Today he works for the investment company Finvia Sports and as a consultant for the German business of the New England Patriots from the American professional football league NFL.