Bjorn Gulden, CEO of Adidas in an interview with AFP, said that the sum paid by Nike to attract the German football team away from its historic partnership with Adidas was “inexplicable.”
“Nike won with, by all accounts, a huge offer,” Gulden said with respect to the reported 100-million-euro ($106.5-million) a year deal.
“If the numbers are right for what Nike paid the (German Football Association), they are inexplicable for us,” he added.
Gulden defended that Adidas would not enter into a bidding war with its US rivals, and would continue to go after major kit deals, including the franchise for France, but only if the price is right.
The German Football Association (DFB) announced last month that it will be ending its long partnership with Adidas and will be partnering with Nike as its kit provider from 2027.