Reebok apologise for Ireland t-shirt branded a ‘stupid, divisive idea’
By Stephen Barry
Reebok have apologised for an ‘Ireland’ t-shirt which omitted the six counties of Northern Ireland and removed it from sale on its website.
The t-shift was part of the sports clothing giant’s UFC range, pushed out ahead of the UFC Fight Night Dublin event that takes place this Saturday.
The €23 t-shirt placed a 26-county map of Ireland between the words ‘Ireland UFC’.
John Kavanagh, head coach of the SBG martial arts facility and former MMA fighter, publicly threatened to withdraw his gym from the deal with Reebok before the apology was issued.
Kavanagh, whose girlfriend is from Belfast, was particularly annoyed by the web tagline asking fans to ‘show your UFC territorial allegiance with this UFC Ireland map tee’.
only seeing this now. its about the dumbest idea i've ever seen. working on it. pic.twitter.com/3FiCA1gj8y
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) October 21, 2015
An incredibly insensitive stupid divisive idea. Its removed by the end of the day or SBG is gone. I expect a sincere apology to Irish fans.
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) October 21, 2015
No need for any more papers to call. This is my final comment on the situation. Time to get focused on #UFCDublin 👍 pic.twitter.com/FWjmcSUFdO
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) October 21, 2015
Reebok put the mistaken t-shirt down to a ‘design error’ as they apologised for the offence caused.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
