Reebok Removes Controversial Ireland T-shirt From Sale After Fan Backlash
Sports giant Reebok has been forced to remove a T-shirt from sale after a backlash by fans.
The controversial ‘UFC Ireland Map Tee’ shows a map of the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland left out. It was only made available to buy earlier this week, but by Wednesday it was pulled from Reebok’s online store.
The shirt went on sale ahead of Saturday’s Fight Night 76 card in Dublin, including the description, “Show your UFC territorial allegiance with this UFC Ireland map tee".
Reebok apologised for the offence caused on Wednesday, blaming a “design error”.
Reebok signed a six-year deal with mixed martial arts promotion company Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2014 to become their exclusive outfitter.
John Kavanagh, head coach of Dublin’s famous Straight Blast Gym, slammed the shirt for being an “incredibly insensitive stupid divisive idea”.
He also threatened to end the gym’s relationship with Reebok if the shirt wasn’t removed, before later posting a more in-depth statement on the topic.
“The reason I was so annoyed by that T-shirt was because of the tag line ‘show your territorial allegiance’,” he said via Twitter. “My girlfriend is from Belfast, a city that has experienced a lot of senseless killings on both sides. This type of rhetoric only serves to fuel negative emotions and brings out the worst in us.
“We’re all on this pale blue dot for a few short decades trying to find happiness. We are all one after all. I’m happy to see it’s been removed from their site and I’m sure future designs will be more thoughtful.”
[Picture: Reebok]
