Newcastle United, those bellends, have gone and done it again. They've only had to apologise and delete a bloody promotional video for their new third kit, all because of some potentially 'offensive' scene. Unbelievable.
the beautiful game's latest controversy
The Magpies, in their infinite wisdom, decided to bring out a bunch of big names for the launch of their new adidas strip. Some singer called Sam Fender and a few former players like Tino Asprilla and Jonas Gutierrez. But that's not the point, is it?
The real kicker is that they included a flag that looked a bit too much like the Rising Sun flag used by the Japanese armed forces back in World War Two. And let me tell you, that flag doesn't exactly bring back fond memories for countries like South Korea, China, Singapore, and Russia, who associate it with some pretty dark times.
So, after being called out for their massive blunder, the club did what any self-respecting team would do and deleted the video from all its social media platforms. They even went as far as replacing it with an altered version. How thoughtful of them.
an apology from the muppets
Of course, Newcastle couldn't just let it slide without issuing a grovelling apology. A spokesperson for the club said, "We have been alerted to the appearance of a flag in our recent third kit launch video that could inadvertently cause offence. In response, we immediately removed the video from circulation and have taken steps to edit the visual from all future content. We sincerely apologise for any offence caused."
Well, isn't that just grand? They're sorry for any offence caused. Never mind the fact that they should have done their bloody research before including a flag with such a dark history in their video.
what's next for the magpies?
Despite this whole debacle, Newcastle's Chief Commercial Officer Peter Silverston still had the nerve to talk about how exciting the new third kit is. He went on about how it "reflects both our proud history and the exciting journey ahead." Give me a break.
Sure, the shirt might look nice, and it might even get its first outing in competitive action on the opening day of the Premier League season. But let's not forget the monumental cock-up that preceded it. Newcastle should be focusing on their football, not on causing international incidents with their kit launches.
In the end, this whole situation is just another example of how football clubs can be completely clueless when it comes to anything outside of the beautiful game. They need to get their act together and stop taking liberties with sensitive issues. Until then, they'll continue to be the laughing stock of the football world.
