AHEAD OF THE GAME: Oldham criticism over Maxwell merchandise

AHEAD OF THE GAME: Oldham come under fire for selling merchandise promoting the Maxwell family after Ghislaine’s child sex-trafficking conviction… while Wayne Rooney’s new documentary WON’T feature his turbulent spell at Derby

  • The Maxwell name appeared on Oldham’s club shirt in the 1988-89 season 
  • Retro merchandise was launched last summer including the Maxwell shirt
  • Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on five charges of child sex-trafficking  

Oldham are facing criticism over continuing to sell merchandise promoting the Maxwell family following Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction on five charges of child sex-trafficking last month.

The club’s connection with the late Robert Maxwell can be traced to the disgraced media magnate building a printing press in Oldham to print the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror newspapers in the 1980s, which led to a sponsorship deal with the Maxwell name appearing on the club’s 1988-89 shirt.

Oldham launched a new range of retro merchandise in conjunction with their club shop operators, Elite Sports Group, last summer with the Maxwell shirt one of three chosen as the basis for the range, along with other historic kits sponsored by local brewers Lees and construction company Bovis.  

Oldham’s retro merchandise includes their 1988-89 Maxwell shirt from the club’s connection with the late Robert Maxwell

His daughter Ghislaine was convicted of five charges of child sex-trafficking

The launch of the Maxwell retro range took place after Ghislaine had been arrested and charged with recruiting underage girls to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein by US prosecutors last July, and it remains on sale in the Oldham shop despite the guilty verdict.

The amount of Maxwell-branded memorabilia available is extraordinary, as in addition to the old kit fans can also buy a Covid mask, beach towel, chopping board, baby cloth, bandana, passport holder, phone case, mouse mat, beer coaster, bottle opener, Christmas tree decoration, apron and a cushion.

A club spokesperson told Sportsmail that the running of the shop is entirely the responsibility of Elite Sports Group, with the retro line outsourced to a memorabilia production company called Turnstile, although Oldham do receive a percentage of all sales.

ROONEY DOCUMENTARY TO DISAPPOINT DERBY FANS 

Derby fans — and any future employers — hoping to gain an insight into Wayne Rooney’s methods are likely to be disappointed by the forthcoming Amazon Prime documentary about their manager, which will be released on February 11. 

Most of the filming took place before he was appointed at Pride Park last year and most of the material focuses on the former England captain’s playing career, family life and upbringing in Liverpool. 

Rooney’s long-term agent, Paul Stretford, is an executive producer of the documentary, indicating that it is unlikely to be a warts-and-all portrait of his colourful career.

Most of Wayne Rooney’s documentary was filmed before he became Derby manager

ARSENAL PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE 

Arsenal’s willingness to allow so many players to leave this month without signing any replacements provides another strong indication that the club are planning for the long term under Mikel Arteta.

Calum Chambers was a surprise departure, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract at Aston Villa this week, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sead Kolasinac and Pablo Mari have already left the Emirates, and Arteta is desperate to off-load former captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang before the transfer window closes on Monday. 

All those decisions were taken for the long term despite the club’s continued involvement in the battle for Champions League qualification and show Arsenal’s faith in Arteta, who as Sportsmail revealed last weekend is set to be offered a contract extension before the end of the season.

In another sign of Arteta’s current standing the Spaniard met Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke in Denver to discuss transfer business, with recruiting a striker before the deadline his priority.

There have been a number of departures to Mikel Arteta’s side during the January window

UEFA KEEPING TABS ON RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CRISIS 

UEFA executives are keeping a close eye on the growing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine with a view to potentially moving the Champions League final from St Petersburg if war breaks out. 

Although UEFA attempt to stay out of political disputes, the presence of 100,000 Russian troops on the Ukraine border has become impossible to ignore, and an invasion would prompt discussions about taking the showpiece to another venue, which would be a humiliating blow to Russia. 

A decision is unlikely to be taken until much closer to the final on May 28, but UEFA sources have pointed out that last year’s final was switched from Istanbul to Lisbon at just two weeks’ notice due to evolving Covid travel restrictions and they retain the flexibility to make another late change. 




Share this article

Source: Read Full Article