Football fans in the United Kingdom have been issued an urgent warning against buying counterfeit shirts due to the increased fire risk and potential skin damage from unregulated dyes.
Spike in counterfeit production during World Cup
Purchasing fake shirts has become more common in recent years as genuine kits become less affordable. During the World Cup, production of counterfeit merchandise spiked, and police seized many shipments upon arrival in the UK. The Police Intellectual Crime Unit recovered over 220,000 pieces of football merchandise as part of Operation Bloxwich, an enforcement campaign targeting fake goods. The total value of the seized items exceeded £18 million, according to BBC Sport.
One raid involved 1,618 fake football shirts being taken from a warehouse in Birmingham.
Safety risks often overlooked
Detective Sergeant Jamie Kirk of the City of London Police highlighted the safety dangers that customers frequently ignore. “I understand why people want to buy these shirts, people love football and the incentive is the lower price, but these shirts, they're not regulated and could be highly flammable,” he said. “They have dyes in them which could be harmful to skin, particularly children's skin. While the cost is lower, and that's the attractive part, potential damages to you and the people making them is just far too high.”
Fire tests show stark contrast
A test conducted by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service demonstrated that counterfeit shirts are significantly more flammable than genuine ones. Watch Manager Dave Jackson explained: “It's quite clear that the counterfeit one melted as soon as the burner went on it. I really had to try to make the genuine one ignite and melt. It's extremely dangerous. It's something that can cause horrific injuries to your children. It's just not worth the savings.”
Link to organised crime
Kate Caffrey, head of intelligence at the Intellectual Property Office, noted that fake shirts are not subject to health and safety regulations or British and EU standards. She added that buying counterfeit goods generates money for organised crime groups, which may use the funds to support other illegal activities. “Counterfeit strips are not subject to health and safety regulations, British standards [or] EU standards,” said Caffrey. “We've got evidence that counterfeit goods are made in appalling conditions, so you just don't know what's in them, how they're being made and there's no way of providing any safety reassurances.”
“Counterfeiting is criminal, these are manufactured and supplied by criminal networks, criminal gangs, and they're very adept at targeting markets where there's demand. So the World Cup, the forthcoming Premier League season, they're going to flood the market with fake shirts. The price of a fake shirt, you don't know what you're funding with that money.”
