October 17 – German sportswear giant Adidas says a row with Morocco over a controversial new Algerian kit has been resolved, and that it regretted the controversy.
When Adidas unveiled the new design last month, the company said it was inspired by the “architectural design of the iconic El Mechouar Palace” in the northern Algerian city of Tlemcen.
That infuriated Morocco who called last month for the kit to be pulled.
A lawyer for the Moroccan government sent “a legal warning” to Adidas on September 30, demanding that the German company removed the collection within two weeks or release a statement “to identify the zellige art of Morocco as an inspiration” for the shirts.
Adidas has now acknowledged that the design was indeed “inspired by Morocco’s zellige mosaic pattern”, ending a dispute with the Moroccan government that had accused the company of “cultural appropriation” of its heritage.
Adidas insisted that the design “was at no time intended to offend anyone” and confirmed “a positive resolution to the recent football jersey issue” saying the company had “deep respect for the people and craftsmen of Morocco.”
Mourad Elajouti, the lawyer acting for the Moroccan culture ministry, welcomed the news, saying the case highlighted “the importance of defending our cultural heritage and the ancestral know-how of Moroccan craftmanship.”
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