Chris Smalling is mistaken for US President Barack Obama on World Cup 2014 mug

  • Souvenir stuff-up with Obama photo captioned as defender Chris Smalling
  • Shows Obama wearing the England footy top in head and shoulders photo
  • Company junior employee now facing demotion after costly blunder

By David Kent for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

A hilarious blunder at a company producing World Cup merchandise has seen Barack Obama mistaken for England defender Chris Smalling on a set of World Cup mugs.


The U.S. President is pictured wearing the England football top after a junior member of staff was tasked with finding royalty free images of the Three Lions squad.

The head and shoulders photo printed on the mugs show Obama wearing the kit, with the caption 'Chris Smalling World Cup squad Brazil 2014' beneath it.

President Barack Obama, mistaken for England football defender Chris Smalling
The real Chris Smalling - posing for his Brazil Football World Cup squad photo

Can the real Chris Smalling please stand up?: U.S. President Barack Obama cuts a striking figure in his England top, left, but poses little actual similarity to England and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, right

Barack Obama, pictured bottom left, features as an England left-back according to the set of coffee mugs

Barack Obama, pictured bottom left, features as an England left-back according to the set of coffee mugs

Squad player: Chris Smalling has not started either any of England's first two World Cup matches

Squad player: Chris Smalling has not started either any of England's first two World Cup matches

 
 

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Roy Hodgson's England side crashed out of the Brazil World Cup in the group stages after losing their first two matches by a scoreline to 2-1 to both Italy and Uruguay.

It is the Three Lions' earliest World Cup exit since 1958 and, perhaps most humiliatingly, they still have to play Costa Rica in a dead rubber match on Tuesday.

The merchandise company which made the error has now hastily turned to Dorset-based expert clearance resellers Wholesale Clearance UK to try and shift the stock that could have easily appeared in an Only Fools and Horses episode.

Wholesale Clearance managing director Karl Baxter said the company contacted him with the hope of off-loading the stock.

Mr Baxter said he believed a junior member of staff at the Dorset company responsible could be facing demotion after being trusted with the task of sourcing royalty free pictures of each England player to use on the mugs.

He said: 'They passed this onto to their young, bright eyed and bushy tailed new apprentice.

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England and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, pictured in action against Denmark earlier this year. He has yet to feature in the tournament.

England and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, pictured in action against Denmark earlier this year. He has yet to feature in the tournament.

Post-mortem: England's early exit from the World Cup has caused an inquest to begin as to why

Post-mortem: England's early exit from the World Cup has caused an inquest to begin as to why

Down time: Smalling (centre) walks with coach Roy Hodgson and his team-mates in Rio de Janeiro

Down time: Smalling (centre) walks with coach Roy Hodgson and his team-mates in Rio de Janeiro

'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 were 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'.'

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