Oxford United Apologises for United 93 Shirt Controversy

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 club said the design was intended to reference their founding year, 1893, but admitted the line went on sale “without understanding of the historical context and associations”.

Images of the range, part of the club’s Campus Clothing collection, showed “United 93” printed prominently on the back of garments. Once the link to United Airlines Flight 93 was highlighted, the backlash was immediate.

Flight 93 was one of four commercial airliners hijacked on 11 September 2001 by Al Qaeda terrorists. It crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people on board. Investigators believe the hijackers were targeting the US Capitol Building in Washington DC. The story of the passengers’ resistance was later turned into the 2006 docudrama film United 93.

In a statement, Oxford United confirmed the entire Campus Clothing range had been withdrawn and said it “sincerely apologised” for the mistake.

“It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence,” the club said. “We have removed the collection with immediate effect and are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again.”

Oxford United, founded in 1893 as Headington, are now an established League One side, sitting in the third tier of English football. The intention, the club stressed, was to nod to that origin story – not to echo one of the darkest days in modern history.

The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people and injured tens of thousands more. Nineteen Al Qaeda members hijacked four planes: two were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, leading to the collapse of both buildings; another slammed into the Pentagon, just outside Washington DC; the fourth, United 93, never reached its suspected target after passengers fought back.

For Oxford United, a line of leisurewear has now become a stark lesson in what happens when commercial ideas are not checked against the weight of history.