Adidas Unveils New Algeria Soccer Jersey, Removes Controversial Moroccan Design

Almost exactly two years after unveiling an Algerian jersey with Moroccan zellige motifs, the German equipment manufacturer Adidas has finally backtracked by producing a new jersey devoid of any reference to Morocco.

In September 2022, the Moroccan Ministry of Culture had formally notified Adidas to "withdraw from the market the new jersey of the Algerian national team", considering that the patterns on the jersey, inspired "by a traditional Moroccan ceramic art, the zellige, are a cultural appropriation of Morocco".

"Mandated by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Communication [@mjcc_gov], I sent a first formal notice to the legal representative of the group [@adidas] to request the withdrawal of the collection of sports jerseys inspired by the art of Moroccan zellige," said Me Mourad Elajouti, president of the Moroccan Lawyers Club, in a tweet. The lawyer at the Casablanca bar had given Adidas a 15-day deadline to withdraw the jersey from its website.

The brand had quickly responded on Twitter, claiming to have drawn its inspiration for the jersey from the zellige existing in the Mechouar palace in Tlemcen, in northwestern Algeria.

"Following constructive discussions between Adidas and the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, we can confirm a positive resolution of the recent problem of football jerseys, worn by the Algerian selection," read a statement from the sports equipment manufacturer, stating that in the face of the turn of the "zellige" affair, it opted for an amicable settlement with the Moroccan Ministry of Culture.