Mortgage lender Northern Rock, principal sponsor of English Premier League club Newcastle United, has pulled an advertisement that was scheduled to run throughout the World Cup, after it learned that Michael Owen, the Newcastle striker featured in the ad, would sit out the rest of the tournament with a cruciate knee injury. "Out of sympathy to Michael, we felt it would be inappropriate to continue with that part of our campaign," said a spokesman for Newcastle-based Northern Rock, the main sponsor of Owen's club, Newcastle United. The Northern Rock campaign included high-profile advertisements appearing in several national newspapers. They featured Owen in a Newcastle shirt, and used the slogan, "One of ours over there." The Northern Rock spokesman wouldn't comment on the cost of the campaign, but the company would not suffer any financial loss for inventory purchased, as all pre-booked advertising space would be filled with alternative promotional material. Owen sustained a serious injury during England's 2-2 draw with Sweden yesterday.

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