Why does Germany wear green? The Ireland myth and the truth.
After dropping a few hints over the past few months, Adidas released the new Germany away kit that will be used throughout EURO 2012. It’s green. Really, really green. Like you, we’ve seen a German flag before and could not find a trace of green on it. So where does this green come from? Well, there’s a popular myth and then there’s the truth.
The myth is that the roots of green lie in post-World War II Germany. Many believe Ireland were the first team willing to play against Germany after the war ended, and so the Germans remembered the gesture by donning Ireland’s traditional green kits.
The truth is, however, that the green does not have anything to do with Ireland. Actually, the first team to play Germany after the war was Switzerland. As for the green and white combo? Well, it wasn’t purely motivated by aesthetics. The colors are derived from the DFB (German football federation) logo, which was designed using green and white, the colors that make up a football pitch. So Ireland, you’re still great, but you’re not responsible for the creation of these awesome green kits.
The Ireland myth seemed unfounded, so I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
