Adidas CEO Björn Gulden has criticised a lack of communication by the German Football Federation (DFB) around a new national teams kit deal but conceded they would have not matched the reported offer from rivals Nike.
Gulden told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung paper that Adidas had only been able to submit one offer and not been given an opportunity for further negotiations, a practice he named unusual in the business.
"I would have wished for a talk with the DFB," he said.
The DFB announced in March that they would end a decades-long partnership with Germany-based Adidas in 2026 and switch to American brand Nike on a deal from 2027 until 2034.
The deal drew criticism, including from politicians such as Economics Minister Robert Habeck who would have preferred "a bit more local patriotism" from the DFB.
Gulden didn't want to lament this aspect and conceded that Adidas would not have matched the Nike offer.
The DFB only said that Nike offered considerably more than Adidas. Business paper Handelsblatt, citing industry sources, said the Nike deal will be worth more than €100 million ($108 million) per year, double the €50 million a year Adidas are said to be paying.
"We have a free economy, you can choose the package that suits you financially. That's why the final result is completely OK for us. And if the DFB really does get that much money in the near future, then hats off," Gulden said.
"We certainly wouldn't have offered that much," he added.
