"; ?>
In yet another conflict between team sponsorship and individual endorsements, the German FA have chosen to back long-standing sponsor Adidas.
"There won’t be any Germany players with any other boot than Adidas," coach Jurgen Klinsmann told Sport Bild magazine.
Apparently a German players’ union has published a letter which states there are "problems with individual contracts with manufacturers of sporting goods other than Adidas".
The BBC has confirmed that Dietmar Hamann, Jens Lehmann, and Thomas Hitzlsperger have received the letter and are affected by the current row. The letter has also been forwarded to Thomas Brdaric, Miroslav Klose, Frank Baumann, Timo Hildebrand, Arne Friedrich and Christian Woerns.
This comes as nothing new for Lehmann, who was ordered by the German FA to wear Adidas gloves if he wanted to be part of the 2006 World Cup squad.
Related Links
Klinsmann added: "If any player believes he has to take legal action so that he can play in his own boot (brand), well he can’t sue to play for us."
This brings into scrutiny the issue of players’ rights and their ability to choose their own equipment.
Football is a beautiful game, but it is now a business too. And, as the German players will testify, sometimes it is not clear which comes first.
Copyright Football365.com
Font size