These World Cup Mug Makers Got Barack Obama And Chris Smalling Muddled Up

    Another England failure at the Barack.

    Alan White
    by Alan White

    BuzzFeed News Reporter, UK

    This is a picture of England footballer Chris Smalling playing against Ecuador.

    Hector Gabino/El Nuevo Herald / MCT

    This is a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama speaking on the situation in Iraq on Thursday.

    Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press / MCT

    They are not the same person. But this mug exists.

    REX

    An unnamed company wanted to produce a range of 2,000 mugs for the World Cup, but when they unpacked them they realised there was a slight error on one of them. They've now turned to Wholesale Clearance UK for help.

    Karl Baxter from Wholesale Clearance UK picks up the story.

    REX

    He says: "The Dorset company in question was given the seemingly easy job of sourcing royalty free pictures of each England squad player to use on the England mugs – along with other accompanying items such as England coasters, England mouse mats etc.

    "They passed this onto to their young, bright eyed and bushy tailed new apprentice. The designs were proofed and signed off by their boss, who had clearly had a heavy night with the lads playing poker and before he’d had his first vat of coffee the following morning.

    "They immediately contacted us and 2,000 of the England items was dispatched to our warehouse. We eagerly unpacked them and, indeed it turned out that the Chris Smalling cup had Barack Obama’s head on instead of Chris’s."

    1. Is this Barack Obama or Chris Smalling?

      Correct! 
      Wrong! 

      It's Barack Obama.

      Obviously.

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    It has since been pointed out Wholesale Clearance UK appears to have something of a history of useless memorabilia.

    Last year, the firm bought thousands of plates celebrating the birth of a “Royal Princess” after the manufacturer incorrectly guessed the Duchess of Cambridge would have a baby girl.