How to Spot a Fake Football Kit
Last weekend saw the start of a new Premier League campaign and with all 20 teams releasing new home, away and even third kits, die-hard fans around the world are snapping up replica shirts in greater numbers than ever before.
As demand and prices for replica kits rise, so does the number of fake football kits available to buy through the black market and on the internet.
The latest big money confiscation
A recent sting carried by Trading Standards officers in North Staffordshire discovered a warehouse full of counterfeit products, including nearly £1 million worth of fake copies of Europe’s most popular football shirts.
Staff were alerted to the huge haul after a tip off from border control at East Midlands Airport, and found boxes of phoney jerseys for Premier League teams Chelsea and Liverpool as well as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica.
In the same raid, officers confiscated fake mobile phone parts, counterfeit sunglasses and poorly made razor blades which can all pose a serious risk to consumers as they may not follow the same production and safety protocols as the real thing.
The hidden risks of fake products
Councillor Gill Heath, representing Trading Standards said: “There have been cases before where fake clothing does not pass fire safety tests, sunglasses that don’t offer protection from UV rays, and fake electronics that have exploded”.
As well as serious safety implications, there’s the financial aspect to fake products with legitimate businesses missing out on sales revenue and tax being avoided with fake items staying under the radar.
Adult fake football shirts usually retail for between £40-60, making the replica kit market a hugely profitable one. Last season, Manchester United sold over 2.8 million shirts worldwide so it’s easy to see why lawmakers and clubs are working hard to try and combat the counterfeiters.
How you can check your kit isn’t fake:
- Fake football kits can usually found to be on sale before the club’s official release
- The quality of material, printing, embroidery, stitching or logos is likely to be of poor quality if its fake
- A fake football shirt might be missing labels, official swing tags or official club packaging
- If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is!
- Be aware of buying online and know your rights with online sellers like Amazon and eBay if you suspect counterfeit goods are being sold
A failsafe anti-counterfeit check
For years brand owners have used official labels, holograms and watermarks to verify legitimate goods but these can be forged or replicated easily.
For a failsafe product verification system Verimaster additive technology provides a covert, fool-proof solution.
Verimaster additives are suitable for all plastics, papers and coatings and can be identified at extremely low doses using a bespoke detection unit offering instant authentication.
This means it can be added to a shirt button, a garment label, within the shirt’s fabric or onto an official swing tag to verify that no tampering or falsification has taken place.
To find out more about Verimaster anti-counterfeit technology, click HERE
If you see fake products on sale you can contact your local Trading Standards office, as well as Back Four who the Premier League works closely with to protect its clubs intellectual property.
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