Oxford United apologised after releasing a United 93 clothing range on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The club said the wording on the back of its Campus Collection went on sale without understanding the historical context and associations.
The collection was a two-piece range featuring an American football jersey and a baseball jersey. Oxford United said the words on the back of the jersey should not have reached the point of sale and that it had full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence.
Oxford United Campus Collection
Oxford United said the range was timed to coincide with the start of the new NFL and MLB seasons. It said 93 is the year the club was promoted to the Second Division, which explains the internal reference the club says it intended to use.
But the same phrase carried a much wider association on September 11, 2001, when United Airlines Flight 93 was hi-jacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists. It was the only plane that did not reach its intended target, which was likely the US Capitol Building or the White House in Washington.
September 11, 2001
Forty-four people, including the four hi-jackers, were killed in the crash in a field. That history sits behind the club's apology and its decision to pull the merchandise with immediate effect rather than leave it on sale while the issue is reviewed.
Oxford United said it is reviewing its approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again. In a separate reaction, one man wrote: "Let's not miss the fact that the 'United 93' shirt was originally released on 9/11. Planks of the highest order."
The practical consequence for buyers is immediate: the collection is no longer available, and the club has put its review of internal sign-off at the centre of the response. The unanswered point is why the wording cleared approval for sale at all, despite the club's own explanation for the 93 reference.
