Fake soccer shirts score

Evidence Kan, 20, and four of his friends sell the counterfeit soccer jerseys of teams playing in the tournament.

Kan told The Times that there is a high demand for his shirts.

The Bafana jerseys he sells look like the real deal because they have legitimate-looking garment tags attached to them as well as the 2010 emblem.

But instead of Fifa, the jerseys sport a badge reading FLAFA — a dead giveaway.

“We are praying for Bafana Bafana to win and advance to the next stage because we know we will sell more jerseys,” he said.

“Bafana and Italy are the favourites, so the two teams are good for business.”

Another hawker, Martin Maluzu, 20, said buyers preferred the cheap soccer jerseys, which they sell for R120. The originals cost R600.

“Everyone buys from us, including people driving nice cars like BMWs and Golfs,” Maluzu said.

The soccer jerseys Maluzu and his mates sell look so similar to the originals he is proud to say that the only difference is the price tag.

Johannesburg metro police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said the sale of counterfeit soccer jerseys on the city's streets was “worsening” during the Confederations Cup.

She said police were trying to clamp down, but the problem was too large for them.

“The T-shirts are sold everywhere around the city centre, near the stadiums and at the robots,” she said.

“We have arrested a lot of offenders and confiscated their goods since the start of the tournament.”

Mamonyane said the manufacturers of the fake jerseys were benefiting a lot more than the men at the traffic lights.

“The guys we are looking for are those who are manufacturing the T-shirts in old, abandoned buildings.”

Source: The Times

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