Newcastle United (England) officially apologized for including an image similar to the Rising Sun flag in its new season uniform video.
Newcastle stated on its social media account on the 2nd (Korea time), “There was a scene in the video introducing the new season's third uniform that may unintentionally cause discomfort. We apologize. We have removed that scene so that fans can watch comfortably.”
Earlier, Newcastle posted a video introducing the 2025-2026 season third uniform on its social media account on the 1st. The video featured Newcastle fans waving flags with the club emblem, but the design of the flags suggested the Rising Sun flag.
The Rising Sun flag has a white background with 16 red rays radiating outward and is a symbol of militarism that Japan used in its invasions of Asia from the late 19th century to the Pacific War. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) bans the use of the Rising Sun flag at international competitions, as it evokes deep historical wounds for Asian countries like Korea and China, which experienced Japan's invasions.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) also reported on the related issue.
The BBC noted, “A flag in the club's colors, reminiscent of the Rising Sun flag, appeared in a video featuring Newcastle fan and singer Sam Fender,” adding, “Newcastle deleted the video from all its social media channels and replaced it with a revised version.”
The Sun also reported, “Newcastle used the Rising Sun flag, which symbolizes the Imperial Japanese Army, in promoting its uniform. It is a flag banned in Korea, China, Singapore, and Russia, countries that have painful histories with Japan. Moreover, Newcastle is planning a preseason tour in Singapore and Korea,” highlighting the inconsistency.
Given that the 'controversial club' Newcastle is scheduled to visit Korea this summer for its preseason tour, many voices express that the 'Rising Sun flag controversy' is even more incomprehensible.
On the 27th, Newcastle will play a friendly match against Arsenal in Singapore, then face Team K League at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 30th. On August 3rd, they will have a match against Tottenham at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Tickets for the match against Team K League sold out in just 30 minutes, while the match against Tottenham, featuring superstar Son Heung-min, sold out in just 15 minutes.
Newcastle is a historic club founded in 1892 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It boasts a history of four First Division championships in England and is also famous for being the team of legendary English striker Alan Shearer.
Recently, it has been acquired by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and is continuing large-scale investments. In the 2022-2023 season, it qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 21 years and won the EFL Cup last season for the first time in 56 years.
Despite being a club with history and tradition, it committed ignorant actions that tarnished its own image.
Newcastle has also shown significant interest in recruiting Korean players, facing even more scrutiny. According to local media, Newcastle is on the verge of signing Park Seung-soo (18, Suwon Samsung) and is moving quickly to finalize the transfer procedures to accompany him on the Korea tour.
[Photo] Newcastle, Coupang Play
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