Oxford United apologises for 'United 93' shirt advert - BBC News
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Football club apologises for United 93 shirt advert
Image source: Oxford United
Image caption: Oxford United's new clothing range with a controversial design.
By Stephen Stafford
South of England
Published 54 minutes ago
A football club has apologised after releasing a new clothing line featuring "United 93" on the back, referencing its founding year but inadvertently causing offence by tying it to the tragic events of 11 September 2001.
The clothing was intended to commemorate Oxford United's inception in 1893, but it was released without understanding the historical context and associations. The call sign "United 93" is linked to the aircraft hijacked during the 9/11 attacks, crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Oxford United, founded as an amateur club called Headington in 1893, plays in League One, the third tier of English football. In a statement, the club acknowledged that its Campus Clothing range was withdrawn immediately and expressed sincere apologies for the error.
"It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence," they said. "We have removed the collection with immediate effect and are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again."
The 9/11 attacks saw 19 Al Qaeda hijackers seize four commercial planes, two crashing into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one hitting the Pentagon near Washington DC, and another believed to be destined for the US Capitol but ultimately crashing in a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 people and injured thousands more.
Related stories from Oxfordshire:
- Oxford United apologises for ‘United 93’ clothing range released on 9/11 anniversary (Oxford Mail)
- From other local news sites (Various links provided in the original text)