UK police, City of London Police and football fans
During the World Cup
Counterfeit football shirts worth more than £18m were seized in the UK during the World Cup. Police recovered over 220,000 fake merchandise items under Operation Bloxwich, as demand for cheap replica kits surged during the tournament.
Fire Service testing found counterfeit shirts were far more flammable than genuine kits, with police warning about harmful dyes and child safety risks. The case links football merchandising, consumer protection and organised counterfeit supply chains.