Oxford United apologise after ‘United 93’ clothing range launched and removed online
Oxford United apologised after launching a ‘United 93’ item on its website on Friday morning as part of a new “Campus Collection”, and the range was pulled about two hours after going on sale.
The Campus Collection was billed as being “inspired by the style and culture of American sports” and was intended to mark the club’s founding year of 1893, with the branding “United 93” used on NFL-style shirts. The club had originally promoted a release date of 11 September — the 25th anniversary of the atrocity that killed nearly 3,000 people — and concerns over sensitivity delayed that launch before the line finally went live on Friday.
Images of models wearing an NFL-style shirt bearing “United 93” prompted an immediate reaction when the collection appeared online; the webpage remained live for approximately two hours before it was deleted. The club issued an apology acknowledging the mistake and its timing after the range was taken down.
In its statement Oxford United said: “The range was released without understanding of the historical context and associations.” The club added that the products ‘‘should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence.’’
The statement continued: “We have removed the collection with immediate effect and are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again. Once again, we would like to put on record our sincere apologies for this error and any offence caused.”
The name United 93 also directly references United Airlines Flight 93, one of four domestic passenger jets seized by al-Qaida terrorists on 11 September 2001; a passenger uprising prevented the hijackers from hitting a government building in Washington DC and the plane crashed into a field, killing all 44 people on board. A film titled “United 93” was later made about the incident.
Reaction among supporters was mixed, with many expressing outrage while others urged forgiveness. One user on the Yellows Forum described it as a “monumental cock-up that I would expect to be sacked for if I’d signed off on it”, while another wrote: “Whilst not ideal … everyone who sees this realises there’s no malicious intent. Ultimately there was just no consideration to it at all.”
Oxford United said it had removed the collection with immediate effect and will review its approval processes, a concrete step the club announced to prevent a recurrence of the issue.