World Cup 2022: Police seize four tonnes of fake football shirts in Sheffield and Leeds as part of £500,000 raids

Danny Hall
By Danny Hall
Published 18th Nov 2022, 16:22 BST
Updated 18th Nov 2022, 16:39 BST
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Fake football shirts with an estimated value of £250,000 have been seized by police in Sheffield and Leeds ahead of the 2022 World Cup, as part of a wider country-wide haul thought to be worth half a million pounds.

A series of raids across the country by the City of London's police intellectual property crime unit (PIPCU), co-ordinated with the Intellectual Property Office, saw six people arrested and £12,000 in cash seized.

Four tonnes of fake shirts were discovered in total in the raids in Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol and Northampton. £10,000 in cash was seized by police in Sheffield, along with counterfeit jerseys from a storage facility. In total, police estimated the fake shirts to be worth half a million pounds.

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Detective Sergeant Matthew Hussey, from PIPCU, said police "regularly see" connections between the counterfeit goods trade and organised criminal groups. He urged football fans to "think twice" before buying fake merchandise.

Fake England football shirts seized by the City of London's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), along with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), in coordinated raids across the country - arresting six people and seizing £12,000 in cash. Officers seized four tonnes of the fake jerseys in raids in Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, and Northampton. Photo: City of London Police/PA WireFake England football shirts seized by the City of London's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), along with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), in coordinated raids across the country - arresting six people and seizing £12,000 in cash. Officers seized four tonnes of the fake jerseys in raids in Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, and Northampton. Photo: City of London Police/PA Wire
Fake England football shirts seized by the City of London's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), along with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), in coordinated raids across the country - arresting six people and seizing £12,000 in cash. Officers seized four tonnes of the fake jerseys in raids in Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, and Northampton. Photo: City of London Police/PA Wire

Marcus Evans, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office, said that criminal gangs are seeking to exploit football fans' support for their favourite teams.

"As football fans get ready to support their favourite team at the World Cup, criminal networks are seeking to exploit their loyalty for their own financial gain by targeting the market with illegal counterfeit products - with little or no regard for their quality or safety," he said.

"We are pleased to support the intensified enforcement activity to clamp down on the sale of such illicit goods, working in partnership to help protect the public from this type of crime."

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Police added that those arrested have since been released under investigation. England’s World Cup campaign begins on Monday against Iran, with Sheffield-born players Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire part of Gareth Southgate’s squad. Former Sheffield United players Aaron Ramsdale and Conor Coady have also been called up to represent the Three Lions, who face Wales and the United States of America in their other group matches.

Two current United players are also representing their countries in Qatar, with Iliman Ndiaye part of the Senegal squad and goalkeeper Adam Davies getting the nod for Wales.