OXFORD, England (AP) — English soccer club Oxford United has apologized for releasing U.S.-style apparel with “United 93” on the back around the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, saying the clothing range was launched “without understanding of the historical context and associations.”
The team, which plays in England’s third tier, said Friday it has removed the collection with immediate effect and was reviewing its approval processes.
Oxford United was founded in 1893, initially as Headington FC before a name change in 1960. The team had its most successful period in the mid-1980s, playing in the top division and winning a League Cup title.
United Airlines Flight 93 was one of the four planes hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, during the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center’s twin towers and blew a hole in the Pentagon. The plane was headed for Washington, officials have concluded, but the aircraft went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.
In a club statement, Oxford United said it wanted to “sincerely apologize” for the launch of its Campus Collection, which, according to local media, featured an American football jersey and a baseball jersey.
“The range was released without understanding of the historical context and associations,” the statement read. “It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence.
“We have removed the collection with immediate effect and are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again.”
The club’s ownership group is led by Erick Thohir, a former minority investor in the Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise and D.C. United in soccer, and later a majority owner of storied Italian club Inter Milan. In his native Indonesia, he is currently sports minister and president of the soccer federation.
The page announcing the launch of the Campus Collection has been deleted.
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The Associated Press
