Oxford United Apologises for United 93 Clothing Blunder
Oxford United have pulled a new clothing range and issued a public apology after releasing items branded with “United 93” on the back – the call sign of one of the planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks.
The design was intended to nod to the club’s roots, referencing their founding year of 1893. Instead, it collided with one of the most painful dates in modern history.
The “Campus Clothing” line briefly went on sale with “United 93” printed prominently. Only after its release did the club acknowledge the phrase’s powerful and tragic association with United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001, killing all 44 people on board.
In a statement, Oxford United confirmed the range had been withdrawn and accepted full responsibility for the oversight.
“The collection has been removed with immediate effect,” the club said, adding that 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. We are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again.”
Flight 93 was one of four commercial planes hijacked by 19 Al Qaeda members during the 9/11 attacks. Two aircraft were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both skyscrapers to collapse. Another struck the Pentagon near Washington DC.
The fourth, United 93, came down in rural Pennsylvania and is believed to have been headed for the US Capitol Building. The story of the passengers and crew on board later became the subject of the 2006 docudrama film “United 93”.
In total, the 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people and left tens of thousands more injured.
Oxford United, formed in 1893 as Headington and now competing in League One, had hoped to celebrate their history with the new line. Instead, they are left tightening internal checks and trying to ensure that a branding decision never again brushes so close to a global tragedy.
