Football

The reason why fake England and Scotland kits are on the rise

Published

5 months ago

June 12, 2024

Admin

The reason why fake England and Scotland kits are on the rise

Highlights

The number of fake England and Scotland shirts being purchased is on the rise ahead of Euro 2024.
Authentic football shirts come with a hefty price tag, making the more affordable counterfeit versions a tempting option for fans.
The desire for the latest football shirts is high, especially among children, putting financial pressure on parents to buy the newest kits.

England and Scotland head to Euro 2024 as the only British representation after both put in brilliant showings in their respective qualification groups. Gareth Southgate and Steve Clarke will both lead their countries into the competition for the second successive time after the two met in the 2020 iteration of the tournament.

As is always the case in the build-up to international tournaments, supporters have been rampant in their pursuit of their home country’s shirt. Fans often want to have a new version of the kit to either head to the competition to support their nation or watch from home. However, there has been a rise in the number of fake shirts purchased by fans ahead of the biggest showcase of the summer.

But why are there so many supporters opting for the counterfeit option rather than purchasing the real thing? It’s been an ongoing issue for many years, but the spike in numbers could now be cause for concern for those producing and selling authentic kits.

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Selling Fake Shirts is Illegal in the UK

It is said to fund criminal activity

It’s against the law to sell replica football strips in the UK, meaning England and Scotland fans buying such items is supporting criminal activity. A spokesperson from Which? told BBC Breakfast:

“It’s illegal to sell these items in this country so buying anything that is counterfeit means you are buying from a criminal. It is incredibly temping to buy counterfeit products purely because of how cheap they often are but to do so you could be very well funding crime like terrorism or slavery.”

While it’s frowned upon to buy these products, the real issue lies with those who are selling the fake shirts in the first place. But why are fans jumping at the opportunity to pick the replica version over the real deal?

The Price Difference

It’s much cheaper to go for the fake option

As is the case with many things in the world, the price of an authentic football shirt is astronomical with a ‘dri fit’ home men’s England kit costing up to £124.99 and a child’s version is £119.99. Meanwhile, it costs £64.99 for a kids’ ‘home stadium’ top. These are the prices to buy the real shirt directly from the manufacturer, Nike. The company is said to lose over £2 billion in revenue each year due to counterfeit tops being sold.

At the same time, Scottish fans are charged £75 for an adult home shirt directly from Adidas ahead of their journey to Euro 2024. The away top is more expensive, currently being retailed at £85. These figures are eye-watering in comparison to the prices of football products in years gone by.

It’s been reported that a fake shirt costs between £10 and £15, showing a huge discrepancy from the legitimate tops. One England supporter put the situation into perspective by telling the BBC:

“I can get shirts for all four of my children for the cost one shirt legitimately. There are children who are demanding and parents are under a lot of pressure, I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can afford the copies.

“There are people now who unfortunately are struggling to afford those because money is so tight. I know people who would have bought the real thing before.”

The Football Association (FA) has stated on its official website that their £100 million investment in grassroots football could be in trouble due to the trading of fake shirts: “Without the income generated from commercial activity such as sponsorship, licensing and merchandising, this would not be possible. Our aim is to protect football fans and protect and enhance those monies that we can reinvest back into the game.”

Kids in particular like to have the latest shirt

Being seen in the most up-to-date football kit is important to many supporters, while the number of old shirts seen has become smaller. Seb White, the founder of Mundial (a football lifestyle magazine), has said:

“There is so much money around football, the demand and hype around football and football shirts. Shirts are being seen on fashion catwalks, members of the houses of parliament are wearing them in parliament.

“Shirts are in such demand they can almost get away with the high price and, also, people will pay it because they want to be seen in the latest thing.”

Children in particular add to the desire to have the newest football kit produced by the team they support and this adds pressure to their parents to pay the extortionate prices. It may not come as a surprise that the number of fake replica shirts being purchased today is on the rise.