As fans pack out stadiums for the European Championship and millions watch from home, the chances are you've probably spotted a lot of people wearing their team's shirt. But, there is also a chance that some of the replica Scotland and England shirts you are seeing off the pitch are fake. These are tops that look like the shirts worn by the players, but aren't made by the official kit manufacturers. Often the quality isn't as good and the shirts are a lot cheaper than the official versions.
The more people choosing to buy fake shirts, means fewer are bought from the official kit manufacturer. Research suggests that the selling of fake shirts costs Nike, who currently make the official England shirt, £2.8bn in lost sales every year. When the England men's home shirt came out in March, an official replica cost £85 for adults and £65 for children in England's official shop.
The player 'authentic' version of the shirt, which is the one worn by players like Kane and Bellingham, costs £125 for adults and £120 for kids. One parent told the BBC, he has been buying fake shirts for his children for years and did so because the official ones are "overpriced", he said the fake ones can be bought for around £11. He said: "If they were reasonably priced, I would 100% buy the genuine article." The FA, football's governing body in England, told the BBC that kit prices were set by manufacturer, Nike. Nike has not responded to requests to comment.
The FA says that it puts £100m into improving grassroots football - which includes children playing from an early age - and some of that money comes from official shirt sales. "Without the income generated from commercial activity such as sponsorship, licensing and merchandising, this [funding for grassroots football] would not be possible," The FA says on its website. In the UK it is illegal to sell fake replica shirts. Lisa Webb, who works for the consumer group Which?, says: "It is incredibly temping to buy counterfeit (fake) products purely because of how cheap they often are, but to do so you could be very well funding crime."
How to spot a fake football shirt
Fake replica shirts often look very much like, or almost identical to the real thing, but if you take a closer look, there are ways to tell if a shirt isn't official. For example, the stitching on fake shirts can often be loose and not as tidy as official kits, with threads hanging out from various places, including on fake brand logos. The sizing of the kit might seem incorrect, when compared to the shirt's label. Speaking of labels, does the shirt come with washing instructions or a product code? If these are missing then it could also be a fake. Another quick way to identify a fake is to check if there is any pen marks or writing on the inside label.
Modern kits will also have some sort of authenticity tag (also called a jock tag) this can be found at the bottom right of England shirts. They sometimes come with shiny holographic material. Unfortunately the tags have been replicated on many fake kits, but there is a way to determine the official from the unofficial. If the code on the tag comes up several times following an internet search, then it is likely to be a fake. These codes are unique to authentic replica kits, so shouldn't appear in any search. Finally, the price. If the shirt was bought for a much cheaper price than it's selling for in official shops, then there's a good chance it could be fake.