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5 tips for recognising a fake football shirt

  • 23 February 23

With the World Cup just around the corner, fans are doing everything they can to own their favourite football team's jersey. The offers on the Internet are sometimes very tempting. But there are often counterfeiters lurking behind the scenes who want to make a profit by offering you replica football shirts. The difference between official and counterfeit shirts is sometimes minimal. However, there are 5 tricks you can use to avoid counterfeits.

1. The quality of the fabric

The first thing to do when you hold a football shirt in your hands is to test the quality of the fabric. You'll be able to tell from the feel whether it's an official shirt or not. The fabric must be heavy, solid and hard-wearing, so don't hesitate to feel around. The quality of the fabric is the result of a long process: bleaching, dyeing, printing, chemical and mechanical finishing and coating. Counterfeits obviously don't undergo the same treatment and very often have a transparent effect in the light.

2. The colour

As the colouring of clothing is a fairly costly process, this element is also poorly copied. Colour variation is difficult to control because the colours used, unlike the flocking font, are kept secret by the equipment manufacturers. Imitations are therefore often made using approximate shades.

authentique vs contrefacon logo maillot de foot Marseille

On the left, an official jersey and on the right, an imitation.

3. Flocking

Although counterfeiters are getting better and better at this detail, there are still a few tricks you can use to recognise an imitation from this component. The difference can be seen in the logo, which is generally located at the foot of the flocking. Also, on an official shirt, the flocking will tend to fade, whereas on a counterfeit it will tend to peel off. Finally, the spacing between the letters is irregular on a counterfeit.

flocage de maillot de foot.

Perfectly executed flocking of an official jersey

4. Seams

Make sure you examine the seams carefully when checking the authenticity of your jersey. Unlike fake jerseys, authentic jerseys have high-quality, robust seams. They are always in good condition with fine details. On a counterfeit, the seams are not clean and there are often uncut threads. Also look closely at the seams both inside and outside the logo, which are generally poorly reproduced.

Gros plan sur coutures de maillot de foot.

On the left are the seams on an official jersey, on the right an imitation.

5. Labels

Analysing the labels is a very important step. They are a guarantee of authenticity. The labels are located on the inside of the jersey, around the neck. All the lettering must be perfectly legible, even the small print. On a counterfeit label, the characters are often written in Chinese and the small print is illegible because it has been neglected.

Also look at the country of origin indicated on labels, and check on the internet whether this is the correct information.

solution de paiement Obvy.

Buy your second-hand football shirts securely with Obvy

Buying your second-hand football shirt with Obvy, our secure payment solution for transactions between private individuals, will not only save you money thanks to the prices applied, but will also help you avoid scams.

With the Obvy system, you can trace the transaction. In the event of dissatisfaction, if you discover that the item is a counterfeit thanks to our tips, you can return it to the seller.