UEFA bans Jurgen Klopp’s first Germany shirt before debut

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Jurgen Klopp has received an unexpected setback prior to his first match as Germany manager, with UEFA banning the shirt that his side were due to wear in their Nations League clash against the Netherlands.

Germany were expected to face the Dutch in Amsterdam wearing a green shirt, but they have been told by UEFA that this will not be allowed.

Instead, Klopp’s side will wear a black jersey that is historic in itself as it will be the final shirt designed by Adidas for the national side before Nike begins to manufacture their kits from 1 January.

Why UEFA has banned Germany’s green shirt

Germany had planned to wear a retro green shirt, based on an iconic 1990 jersey, to face the Netherlands. However, Bild reports it has been banned under UEFA’s jersey and equipment regulations for two reasons.

UEFA has reportedly told the German Football Association (DFB) that the stripes running down the shirts to the collar of the cuffs are banned. Instead, European football’s governing body requires this area of the shirt to be free to display the Nations League emblem and the UEFA Foundation logo.

Secondly, the jerseys were banned because there was no plan for the players’ numbers to be displayed on the chest – something that UEFA now requires.

While Germany had planned to work in conjunction with Adidas to redesign the existing shirt, a decision has instead been taken to wear what was meant to be the ‘final’ jersey of the kit manufacturer’s deal a little earlier than scheduled.

The poignant message behind Adidas’ final Germany kit

The shirt that Germany will wear against the Netherlands is black with white, gold and black trim. On the shirt itself are vertical gold lines comprised of small diamonds.

“These echo the design language of the current home and away kits and symbolically represent the more than 24,000 football clubs in Germany, which form the foundation of German football,” Adidas states.

Klopp is already a fan, telling the media: “I like it very, very much, it's absolutely classic. It's turned out beautifully. I'm delighted that the lads get to wear it.”

There will be no kit controversy in Germany’s subsequent matches against Greece and Serbia in the coming week as Die Mannschaft will wear the white jerseys they wore during their World Cup campaign.