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Expert on DFB supplier change: “Timing was catastrophic”
The German national soccer team’s jerseys for the home European Championship are still from Adidas. photo
© Daniel Karmann/dpa
The DFB switches from Adidas to Nike. A marketing specialist sees only one winner and two losers.
From the perspective of marketing expert Frank Dopheide, the German Football Association’s change of supplier only has one winner. “The DFB is taking the most damage in the deal,” Dopheide told the German Press Agency. The founder of the human unlimited agency also sees the German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas as a loser, which will be replaced as DFB supplier by US competitor Nike in 2027 – the only winner from his point of view.
The rumored additional income of 50 million euros per year is a “powerful argument,” said Dopheide. On the other hand, the DFB has “sawed off part of its history – it’s like a tree, it doesn’t grow back. Maybe they didn’t take that into account.”
The “emotional damage” is enormous
It seems to him that “the side effects have not been taken into account.” The “emotional damage” is enormous, said the brand expert. The DFB has “torpedoed its own values”. Above all, “the timing was catastrophic.”
From Dopheide’s point of view, it is clear: “Adidas is suffering. This goes to the core of the brand and the founding story. This can no longer be repaired. Adidas is being damaged.” After more than 70 years, the collaboration with the association will end in December 2026.
For the marketing specialist, Nike leaves the pitch as a “winner. That was a big hit, volley and in,” commented Dopheide in Football German. An important difference to the DFB: “With the timing before the European Championships in Germany, this is a direct hit” for the US company. The contract is valid for seven years until 2034.