Wire flash
Edinburgh seizes ~58,000 fake football shirts worth £5.5 mln
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Trading standards officers in Edinburgh seized approximately 58,000 counterfeit international football shirts worth an estimated £5.5 million in one of the largest raids of its kind in the UK. The fake strips, including Scotland and England kits, were intended for sale during the ongoing World Cup finals. The City of Edinburgh Council's Trading Standards Team conducted the operation with assistance from Police Scotland following intelligence-led investigations. Councillor Neil Ross called it a 'tremendous result' and warned that counterfeit goods undermine legitimate businesses and may fail safety standards. The Scottish Football Association cautioned that fake merchandise diverts funds from community clubs and charities, and may be linked to organized crime and human exploitation. Investigations into the source and supply routes are continuing.
Source report
Image caption: Tens of thousands of fake kits were seized during the Edinburgh raid
A huge haul of fake international football shirts worth an estimated £5.5 million has been seized in a trading standards raid in Edinburgh.
About 58,000 strips — including Scotland and England kits — were intended for sale during the current World Cup finals. The seizure is estimated to be one of the largest ever of its kind in the UK.
The City of Edinburgh Council's Trading Standards Team said it followed a series of intelligence-led operations with assistance from Police Scotland.
Image caption: Scotland fakes were intended for sale during the World Cup
The council said investigations into the source and supply routes were continuing.
Councillor Neil Ross described the raid as "a tremendous result."
He said: "With the World Cup well under way, this is a timely reminder that criminals exploit major sporting events by flooding the market with counterfeit goods to cash in on fan demand.
"Let me be clear, this is not a victimless crime. Counterfeiters undermine legitimate businesses, rip off supporters and sell products with no guarantee for how or where they were made or whether they meet basic safety standards."
- More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East
- More stories from Scotland
The Scottish Football Association said the trade in fake goods jeopardised its ability to invest in the game at all levels.
A spokesperson said: "Scotland's return to the Fifa World Cup stage has, understandably, led to huge demand for official kit and merchandise in general.
"Unfortunately, major tournament involvement also brings about a rise in counterfeit goods."
Image caption: Copies of Scotland's away kit were among the haul
They added: "Aside from taking funds away from local community clubs, charities and key programmes... these items are typically poor quality and have often skipped rigorous safety tests.
"They can be highly flammable, made with harmful dyes and can be linked to funding organised crime networks and human exploitation.
"We would strongly encourage Scotland supporters to opt for official merchandise – to protect them and Scottish football."
Source
BBC SportWestern
Part of this Story
Record Seizure of 58,000 Counterfeit World Cup Jerseys in Edinburgh