Key facts
- Oxford United withdrew a clothing line after shirts featured 'United 93' branding.
- The club stated the 'United 93' design was intended to reference its founding year of 1893.
- Oxford United apologized for releasing the merchandise without understanding its association with United Airlines Flight 93.
- The club takes full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence.
- Oxford United is reviewing its approval processes to prevent similar incidents.
Oxford United has apologized and withdrawn a new clothing line after a shirt design mistakenly referenced 'United 93,' the call sign of one of the aircraft hijacked on September 11, 2001. The club stated the design was intended to refer to its founding year of 1893 but was released 'without understanding of the historical context and associations.'
United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people on board after passengers and crew attempted to regain control from the hijackers. A docudrama film titled 'United 93' was also released in 2006 about the tragedy.
In a statement, the club said its 'Campus Clothing' range had been withdrawn and it 'sincerely apologised' for the error. 'It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence,' the club 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 involved 19 Al Qaeda members hijacking four commercial passenger planes. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers, one hit the Pentagon, and United 93 crashed in Pennsylvania. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 people.