German Football Federation (DFB) managing director Andreas Rettig has hit out "populist" criticism from politicians on a kit sponsor switch for the national teams from Adidas to Nike, saying the offers were "not even remotely comparable."
The DFB came under attack after announcing on Thursday that their 70-year partnership with German sports goods makers Adidas was to end in 2026, with American giants Nike to take over from 2027.
Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck said the Adidas-DFB partnership was "a piece of German identity" and that "I would have liked a bit more local patriotism."
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz named the decision "unpatriotic". Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder, whose local side Bayern Munich have a big deal with Bavarian-based Adidas, said that German football was "is not a pawn in international corporate battles."
Rettig would have none of, telling the ran portal on Saturday: "I was very surprised to see politicians sticking their neck out so far in a populist way without any knowledge and, above all, without any facts.
"That's a new quality. It has to be said clearly: perhaps it would have been better to keep quiet on one or two occasions."
He added in the direction of Habeck: "To make such a statement without knowing the framework conditions and the process is quite astonishing - that an economics minister would make such a statement."
No financial details were given but German business newspaper Handelsblatt, citing industry sources, said Nike will pay the cash-strapped DFB more than €100 million ($108 million) per year between 2027 and 2034, double the €50 million a year the Adidas deal is reportedly worth.
"If the offers are comparable, the location, the connection, the tradition and the previous path play an important role. But believe us: the offers were not even remotely comparable. You can say that much," Rettig said, without elaborating.
"We have a responsibility for many hundreds of employees, we have a responsibility for the regional associations, for the grassroots. Therefore, we cannot be blamed for making such a decision in an economic situation," Rettig said.
German Football league supervisory board spokesman and DFB vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke shared Rettig's view, telling Sky TV that the difference in the offers was "gigantic."
"There was simply no other solution. If you put it out to tender, then it's simply the case that someone will be angry at some point."
Watzke said he was "extremely" annoyed by the statements from politicians.
"There are people who said five years ago 'love of country pisses me off' and are now suddenly discovering patriotism," he said.
"The only sensible thing I read was the sentence from the Federal Chancellor: that this is the association's business."
"It was clear that this was such a big issue in the public eye, and I can well understand that. When I was confronted with it, I also had to catch my breath. It was a long-standing relationship between the DFB and Adidas."
He added the DFB "had to advertise in a non-discriminatory manner, and we adhered to that".
