British Airways has faced a wave of criticism after wishing the England rugby team “good luck” ahead of their Autumn Nations Cup finale against Wales this afternoon.
The UK’s flagship airline became an official sponsor of Eddie Jones’s side in 2018 but were met by a fierce backlash after appearing to publicly pledge their support ahead of the behind closed doors fixture at Parc y Scarlets.
“Good luck to the England Rugby team against Wales today," the tweet read.
A number of journalists and supporters alike questioned the social media post, with Rugby World Magazine columnist Paul Williams writing: “When brands get things spectacularly wrong.”
Other users described the post as “ill-considered" and “absolutely shameful”, while some questioned the integrity of the brand representing the United Kingdom.
YesCymru, the campaign for Wales’s independence, wrote: "To be clear, even when Wales becomes independent, it will still be a constituent part of the island of Britain.
“Your brand isn’t UK Airways, it’s British Airways. Regardless, we’ve had enough of this unequal, broken union. It’s time for change.”
Other users did, however, point out that British Airways regularly tweet support for the England team in their capacity as the team’s “first principal partner”.
On the airline’s official website, it reads: “As Official Airline Partner of the men’s England Rugby Union team, women’s Red Roses team and both the men and women’s Sevens teams, British Airways is proud to fly the teams and fans of England Rugby all over the world.”
