Adidas will not escalate bidding with Nike

Adidas will not get into a bidding war with Nike in an effort to retain sponsorship of the German national team.

In an interview published in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung Wednesday, adidas CEO Herbert Hainer said if his company entered a competition, "everyone would say we were crazy. And we wouldn't do that."

Hainer will get no help from the national team. Football association president Theo Zwanziger said his toughest act of 2007 would be to pick between loyalty to adidas or a sweet offer from Nike.

Kicker newspaper reported earlier this month that Nike offered the German Football Association (DFB) EUR 400 for an eight-year deal starting 2011, plus a EUR 50 million signing bonus.

The DFB said it had received a "very interesting offer" from Nike but declined to provide additional details.

The newspaper said Nike's offer was almost five times as high as what Adidas currently pays.

Zwanziger said Nike's offer was tempting because it could fund many non-profit football activities.

Germany is more closely linked to adidas than any other team, with ties going back more than 50 years. Germany won three World Cups wearing adidas and enjoyed a close relationship with the company since founder Adi Dassler helped them win their first title in 1954 with his screw-in studs.

France and Argentina have the only other major national teams still in adidas gear.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.