Oxford United Apologises for Controversial ‘United 93’ Merchandise
Oxford United have been forced into a swift and public climbdown after launching a new clothing line that featured the wording “United 93” just days before the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The League One club unveiled their “Campus Collection” on Thursday morning, a range styled on American college sports apparel. One item carried “United 93” across the back – a nod, the club intended, to their founding year of 1893.
Within hours, it had been taken down.
For many, the association was impossible to ignore. United Airlines Flight 93 was one of four planes hijacked during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people on board. The story was later turned into the 2006 film United 93, cementing the flight number in public consciousness.
Oxford United had already been wary of the timing. The club had initially planned to release the range on 9 September to tie in with the start of the NFL season in the United States, but delayed it after deciding that date sat uncomfortably close to the 9/11 anniversary.
The delay did not prevent the storm.
Once the collection went live, screenshots of the “United 93” design began circulating online. The club reacted quickly, pulling the range from sale and issuing a formal apology.
In a statement, Oxford United said it “would like to sincerely apologise for the recent launch of the Campus Collection”.
“The range was released without understanding of the historical context and associations,” the statement read. “It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence.”
The club confirmed the range had been removed “with immediate effect” and said it is reviewing its internal approval processes “to ensure nothing like this happens again”.
They closed with another clear mea culpa: “Once again, we would like to put on record our sincere apologies for this error and for any offence caused.”
Reaction online split opinion. Some supporters and observers argued the outrage was overblown, with one social media user insisting “not everything revolved around America”. Others were far less forgiving, branding the decision “amateurish” and urging the club to carry out basic checks before signing off future designs. “Maybe Google next time,” one comment read. “They literally made a film about it.”
For a club trying to grow its brand with a US-inspired range, the message could hardly be starker: in the modern game, a single line of text on the back of a shirt can carry a weight far beyond the pitch.
