‘You don’t have to decorate the place for them’
Even Newcastle fans expressed their sympathy for their bitter rivals insisting they would not have tolerated something similar at St James’ Park.
It is the first major misstep under owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, with fans accusing him and the board of trying to cash in on the FA Cup tie by “rolling out the red carpet” to Newcastle supporters to maximise gate receipts.
Season-ticket holder Joanne Youngson, a committee member of the supporters branch liaison council, questioned whether Louis-Dreyfus understood the importance of the game, and expressed her outrage at the latest development.
“Crazy, fair enough, take anything red and white down to minimise any damage. But you don’t have to decorate the place for them,’ she said. “It’s just a real shame, their fans are going to be loving it – we would!
“This is why I questioned whether Kyril knows what it means to us. He doesn’t get us, or the region at all, in fact.”
After the photos had circulated for several hours on social media, Sunderland issued a grovelling apology via an official club statement.
“Sunderland AFC acknowledges that a serious error in judgement was made in relation to Black Cats Bar earlier this afternoon,” it read
“We apologise to our fans for the understandable concern they have fairly voiced in response and this sentiment is shared by the club’s ownership group and board of directors, who have requested an immediate review is undertaken to determine how this process unfolded.
“A direct decision has also been taken by the ownership group and board of directors to return the space to its original state and we once again apologise to our supporters that this was not addressed sooner.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
