Fake Scotland and England football tops among 58,000 kits seized in Edinburgh

Around 58,000 fake football strips worth over £5m have been recovered in Edinburgh in one of the largest seizures of its kind in the UK.

The operation led by the City of Edinburgh Council’s trading standards team, along with Police Scotland, seized nine tonnes of counterfeit kits and jerseys.

Estimates by Back Four Brand Protection put the haul at £5.5m worth of genuine product.

Fake Scotland football shirts seized in Edinburgh raid. Edinburgh Council

The clothing was intended for distribution during the FIFA World Cup 2026, with England and Scotland shirts making up a large proportion of the haul.

The Scottish FA said fake merchandise impacts the amount of money they can invest back into Scottish football due to the loss of funds generated from licensing, merchandising and sponsorship.

Edinburgh City Council has warned that the counterfeit goods bypass safety regulations and can potentially expose buyers to harmful toxins in dyes and materials.

Their sales also have strong links to the funding of organised crime, including human trafficking, modern slavery and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

Council regulatory convener, Neil Ross, said: “With the World Cup well under way, this is a timely reminder that criminals exploit major sporting events by flooding the market with counterfeit goods to cash in on fan demand.

“Counterfeiters undermine legitimate businesses, rip off supporters and sell products with no guarantee for how or where they were made or whether they meet basic safety standards.”

Investigations by Trading Standards found supply routes for the haul form part of an international counterfeit trade network and are often linked to criminal organisations.

The shirts will be securely recycled after being confirmed as fake by the relevant brand holders.

A Scottish Football Association spokesperson said: “The Scottish FA invests income into the game at every level, from the grassroots scene through to the senior international squads.

“Without the funds generated from licensing, merchandising and sponsorship, this would be severely impacted.

“Counterfeit goods hit those revenues and, therefore, the amount that we can pour back into Scottish football.

“Aside from taking funds away from local community clubs, charities and key programmes around facilities like Pitching In, these items are typically poor quality and have often skipped rigorous safety tests.

“They can be highly flammable, made with harmful dyes and can be linked to funding organised crime networks and human exploitation.”

A spokesperson for Back Four Brand Protection, added: “We’ve never seen a seizure of this scale in the UK. A huge proportion of the total were England and Scotland shirts, as well as other countries such as Spain, Portugal and France.

“We estimate that this seizure represents an estimated £5.5 million in genuine product.”