LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – English third-tier club Oxford United have withdrawn a clothing line featuring the slogan “United 93” and apologised for being unaware of its historical context.
United 93 was the call sign of one of the passenger jets hijacked in the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on the United States in 2001.
The merchandise was intended as a reference to the club’s founding year of 1893.
“The range was released without understanding of the historical context and associations,” a club 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. Once again, we would like to put on record our sincere apologies for this error and for any offence caused.”
United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, rural Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people on board, after being hijacked on September 11, 2001.
It is believed the plane was heading for the US Capitol Building before passengers attempted to regain control — the tragedy chronicled in the 2006 docudrama movie “United 93”.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman)
