AHEAD OF THE GAME

MASKS AND MOUSE MATS ... IT’S MAXWELL MADNESS AT OLDHAM

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. 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 maxwellbranded 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.