Gotze Nike warning
The 21-year-old has again been told to stop wearing products by the competitor of the team's sponsor Adidas, but he insists he needed them to recover from his injury
The 21-year-old has again been told to stop wearing products by the competitor of the team's sponsor Adidas, but he insists he needed them to recover from his injury
Germany star Mario Gotze has been told off by Oliver Bierhoff for wearing Nike socks during the preparations for the match against the Republic of Ireland.
The youngster has already made the headlines for wearing a Nike t-shirt at his Bayern Munich unveiling in July, as the the club's main sponsor is Adidas.
And ahead of Germany's qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, Gotze was reportedly caught wearing socks by the company's competitor, and told to pull them up.
DFB general manager Bierhoff has addressed the issue after the match, explaining how the players are limited in their choice of apparel.
"Things like this shouldn't happen. The players are allowed to wear whatever boots they want, but otherwise we are committed to our partners, of course," the 21-year-old told Bild.
Gotze, meanwhile, assured he wore the socks solely for medical purposes without the intention to upset Germany's sponsor.
"They are compression socks that I have worn for some time because of my injury. I didn't think about it, I didn't want to provoke anyone or advertise something.
"This sort of thing won't happen again by me."
-Goal