SUNDERLAND, England (AP) — Sunderland scored a spectacular own-goal off the field well before its FA Cup showdown with archrival Newcastle.
The second-tier English soccer club apologized to fans after a bar at its Stadium of Light was rebranded in Newcastle colors and banners ahead of Saturday’s derby.
The Black Cats Bar will serve as a corporate hospitality suite for visiting fans, but Sunderland pledged to return the space to its original state after a fan backlash.
Sunderland apologized for “a serious error in judgment” and said it had “requested an immediate review is undertaken to determine how this process unfolded.”
Club owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus also apologized and said he was “disgusted and hurt” by the news.
“I take full responsibility for every decision that is taken by the employees of our club and you have my word that I will personally make sure that we make the necessary changes required to improve because it is clear that there are many areas where we need to be better,” the Frenchman said on his Instagram account.
Home fans were already tense after some season ticket holders were moved from their usual seats to accommodate 6,000 traveling Magpies supporters.
The gaffe threatened to overshadow the eagerly anticipated third-round cup match between the northeast neighbors. The teams haven’t squared off since a 1-1 Premier League draw in March 2016 at St. James’ Park.
Sunderland was relegated from the top flight after the 2016-17 season. The club then slipped down to League One the next campaign — all chronicled in the popular Netflix series “Sunderland ‘Til I Die.”
Sunderland returned to the Championship last season and was one game away from earning promotion to the Premier League. The club is currently sixth in the standings.
Newcastle has lost four straight games in all competitions and is 11 points away from the top four in the Premier League.
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