Oxford United apologizes and withdraws clothing line featuring ‘United 93’ text

Oxford United has issued a formal apology and withdrawn its new ‘Campus Collection’ of American-style sportswear following backlash over insensitive branding. The merchandise featured the text ‘United 93’ on the back of items such as football and baseball jerseys.

The club stated the design was intended to reference its founding year of 1893 by using the abbreviation ‘93’. However, the phrase inadvertently mirrored the call sign of United Airlines Flight 93, one of the four aircraft hijacked during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In an official statement, the League One club admitted the collection was released ‘without understanding of the historical context and associations’ and accepted full responsibility for failing to conduct proper due diligence. The club has removed all items from sale and is reviewing its internal approval processes to prevent similar errors in the future.