Fake kits worth £18m seized by police during World Cup
UK police seized over 220,000 counterfeit football shirts worth £18 million during the World Cup due to safety and flammability concerns. Authorities warned that these unregulated items pose significant health risks, including skin irritation and fire hazards.
Why it matters
The operation highlights the dangers of the counterfeit goods market and the specific safety risks associated with low-quality sports apparel.
Image source, BBC Sport Image caption, Some 220,000 fake strips were seized across the UK in the lead-up to the World Cup
Counterfeit football shirts worth over £18m were seized in the UK during the course of the World Cup because of safety concerns.
The tournament produced a spike in the sales of fake shirts and kits, but the Fire Service has warned that these items are far more flammable and dangerous than the genuine articles.
More than 220,000 pieces of football merchandise were recovered by the Police Intellectual Crime Unit as part of Operation Bloxwich, a UK police enforcement effort targeting counterfeit goods.
One raid involved 1,618 fake strips being taken from a warehouse in Birmingham, including replicas of star players such as France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in