The German football club Bayern Munich’s latest PR stunt backfired significantly today – but has still resulted in a huge amount of coverage.

The club announced on its Facebook page that they would be unveiling a “new offensive player” at 2pm CET, but when excited fans logged on they were greeted by a marketing app that showed users a picture of their own profiles and a mocked-up No.8 shirt with their surname on the back.

The club announced that every Bayern Munich fan was the “spectacular new signing” for the team. However, the backlash was instant, with over 6,000 comments already registering fans’ disapproval of the manipulative stunt, and Twitter users commenting on the naivety of the agency that planned it. The club has since issued an apology on its Facebook page.

The coverage gained for the club has led to a lot of press, as well as Bayern Munich and #FCB trending on Twitter – but the almost universally negative reception demonstrates how far some brands still have to go when it comes to their social presence.