Brazil seizes 200,000 fake Adidas footballs

Brazilian customs officials have seized 200,000 counterfeit footballs shipped to the country from China.

The Brazilian tax authority said the fakes seized at the port of Santos included bogus imitations of Adidas footballs used in the 2010 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup. Brazil is keen to clampdown on fakes ahead of its hosting of the Confederations Cup, World Cup and Olympics.

FIFA, the organization behind the World Cup, is particularly vigilant in stopping vendors selling anything other than approved products near stadiums. In 2010 South Africa closed unapproved vendors, regardless of whether merchandise was genuine, who worked near football grounds.

Brazil has also agreed to follow the FIFA rules, but is unlikely to stop demand for fakes. Reuters reports that a genuine replica shirts of Brazilian club sides can cost around $100, almost 30 per cent of the country’s minimum monthly wage.

The 200,000 seized fake footballs will now be destroyed.