Newcastle United midfielder Haris Vuckic has apologised after posting a selfie of himself and teammate Paul Dummett on a flight to New Zealand, the day after two of the club's supporters perished in a plane crash.
Alongside the image, Vuckic tweeted: "New Zealand!! Here we come!! @Paul Dummett preseason!! SleepTime"
The North-East outfit confirmed on Friday that John Alder, 63, and Liam Sweeney, 28, were two of 298 people who died after their plane crashed in Eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
The pair, who were well known among the players and manager Alan Pardew, were travelling to New Zealand to watch the Magpies during their pre-season tour.
The 21-year-old deleted the photo shortly afterwards and tweeted: "My apologies if anyone was offended by my photo from the plane. No offence was intended. We are thinking of John and Liam. #RIP #RNUFC family".
Pardew and the players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect during their pre-season games against Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.