When Germany won its first World Cup in 1954, adidas founder Adi Dassler was hailed for providing the team with revolutionary screw-in studs that helped the players cope with the water-logged field in Bern, site of their 3-2 win over Hungary.
For another half-century, and two more World Cup victories, Germany wore the three stripes of the company based in the small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach.
During the 2006 World Cup, adidas sold 1.4 million Germany replica jerseys.
But now the German soccer federation (DFB) is considering an eight-year $648 million sponsorship offer from Nike beginning in 2011. Adidas reportedly pays the DFB $14.2 million a year – six times less than the Nike offer.
Prospects of a switch from a German firm to the American company has created some controversy. The Times of London quoted a German soccer commentator as saying, ''It's like putting Grandma in an old people's home. It may be necessary but it certainly has a moral dimension.''
But DFB boss Theo Zwanziger said, ''Imagine, you get married, you are sure that you will stay that way until parted by death – and then suddenly somebody else comes into your life.''
The DFB also released a survey in which 72 percent of the German public approved of a switch to Nike if the money was spent on promoting youth soccer and building fields.
For now, adidas and the DFB are disputing whether their current agreement runs until 2010 or 2014.