UK police seize £18m in counterfeit football kits during World Cup

UK police seized counterfeit football shirts worth over £18 million during the World Cup, citing serious safety concerns. The tournament led to a spike in sales of fake shirts and kits, but the Fire Service has warned that these items are far more flammable and dangerous than genuine articles.

Operation Bloxwich: Targeting Counterfeit Merchandise

More than 220,000 pieces of football merchandise were recovered by the Police Intellectual Property Office 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.

Safety Risks: Flammability and Harmful Chemicals

Detective Sergeant Jamie Kirk, who took part in the operation, told BBC Sport: "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. 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."

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service tested the flammability of counterfeit shirts compared with genuine kit and found the fake kits were much more flammable. Watch manager Dave Jackson, who carried out the test by hanging them two at a time on an iron bar and using blow torches to set them alight, said: "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."

Low Prices Drive Demand

One of the factors driving the sales of counterfeit kits is their low price. Several websites sell them for as little as £12, while the cost of some official Premier League strips start at £85. Jackson added: "It's extremely dangerous. It's something that can cause horrific injuries to your children. It's just not worth the savings."

Regulatory Concerns and Criminal Networks

Kate Caffrey, head of intelligence at the Intellectual Property Office, warned that fake shirts are not regulated. "Counterfeit strips are not subject to health and safety regulations, British Standards [or] EU standards," she told BBC Sport. "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."

Caffrey also highlighted the criminal element: "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."