Newcastle United forced to apologise and edit third kit promotional video after 'offensive' scene caused fan backlash
While most fans talked about how good the latest Adidas and Newcastle United promotional video for the third kit launch was, some other fans noted something slightly troubling, which caused the club to take down the video and make changes.
Newcastle removed the Sam Fender-fronted video following a bit of backlash from some fans, with supporters who missed the 'offensive' image wondering if Steve Bruce had been crying about the 'How's the bacon, did ye say?' stinger at the end.
The video's theme was about bringing fans together from across the globe, united under the banner of being a Geordie; however, the club may have caused a bit of upset to some of its global fan base in the video.
The timing couldn't be worse for Newcastle either, with their upcoming trip to South Korea just a couple of weeks away.
The club acted quickly to remove the 'offensive' scene from the video after fans pointed out the issue
The scene in question is a brief cut where a flag is being held up, which resembles the Japanese Rising Sun flag, which is seen by Asian countries as a symbol of Japan's imperialist past.
Some fans pointed out the issue, and the club were quick to respond, cutting the scene from the video and issuing the following apology:
“The reaction to our new third kit with adidas has been special, but the launch video contained a scene that could inadvertently cause offence. We apologise for that. We’ve removed the scene from the film to make sure that as many fans as possible can enjoy it.”
It is strange how nobody spotted the faux pas before the video made it online
While it was likely just a genuine oversight, you'd expect that, given how many people were involved in the video's production, somebody would have caught it.
Granted, the flag only bears a resemblance to the Rising Sun flag as it's black and white with a Newcastle crest in the centre, but the fact that it is being held up by an Asian fan made it really easy to connect the dots.
Hopefully, Newcastle's swift action and acknowledgement will be enough to curtail any potential pushback when the team heads out to South Korea and Singapore later this month.
