'Like real' football World Cup jerseys worth $50m seized

More than 100,000 counterfeit football jerseys worth over HK$50 million have been seized by customs officers over the past two weeks ahead of the football World Cup in Qatar that kicks off on Sunday.

The seizures at land boundaries, logistics companies and online shops led to the arrest of 15 men, aged 34 to 64, in 20 cases during the two-week special operation.

The jerseys - mostly for popular teams that include Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Germany and England - were believed to be on their way to countries in Europe, South America and Africa, while some are for the local market.

Customs said fake jerseys are usually sold at HK$200 to HK$250 locally and the equivalent of HK$500 overseas, while prices for authentic ones are the equivalent of from HK$600 to HK$1,300.

A search for World Cup football jerseys on mainland vending site Taobao yesterday led to options priced between 18 yuan (HK$19.70) and a 16,099 yuan. The expensive one is for a jersey claimed to be signed by 35-year-old Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who is joining his fifth and last World Cup this year.

Between October 31 and November 9, officers uncovered 10 cases of jersey smuggling on inbound trucks at Shenzhen Bay and four others at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

More than 92,000 counterfeit football jerseys estimated to be worth HK$46 million were intercepted and 14 drivers were arrested.

The divisional commander for Shenzhen Bay cargo, Cheung Sui-man, said the smugglers tried to hide the fake jerseys in the center and back of containers, but they were detected by X-ray machines.

After follow-up investigations, customs officers conducted strike-and-search operations at logistics companies in Yuen Long, Tsing Yi and Kwai Chung on November 7 and 10, rolling up five more cases with 8,400 fake jerseys worth HK$4.3 million.

On November 10, officers found a 52-year-old male online vendor selling counterfeit jerseys and arrested him in Kwun Tong. The 15 arrested men have been released on bail.

The divisional commander for intellectual property transnational investigation, Fung Wai-ching, said the counterfeit jerseys resemble authentic ones.

"A majority of the seized jerseys are the latest versions of national teams. Secondly, there are three-dimensional printing on them," he said.

He said the jerseys come with hanging labels of the same shade as the jerseys, listing the products' color and sizes.

They also have QR codes on the labels that lead users to the website of authenticate jersey manufacturers.

"The tag of the jerseys even claim they are made of green materials," Fung pointed out.

"They also come with plastic wrappings printed with sports brand logos."

The head of intellectual property investigation (operations) group, Gary Hung Hon-wing, said football fans will not face legal consequences for buying fake jerseys.

"But people would be disappointed if they pay for something fake," he said.

He reminded people to buy jerseys and sports equipment from patent shops and sellers with good reputation.

"Pay attention to prices too. Pay attention if they are too cheap, or when the sellers claim to sell limited editions," he said.

A sportswear shop owner in Mong Kong told The Standard yesterday that jerseys of some popular teams such as Argentina and Germany have been sold out.

It is a criminal offense to import or sell goods with a forged trademark. The maximum penalty is five years in jail and a HK$500,000 fine.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com