Arsenal hosted a Football Against Fakes conference at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, with Premier League clubs coming together to try and stop fans being duped by sales of counterfeit kit and merchandise.
Enforcement officials from across the country were there to provide clubs and their partners an opportunity to share knowledge, build relationships and ultimately stimulate the seizures of counterfeit merchandise.
Last season, the Premier League seized a record number of counterfeit goods with over 500,000 items worth £3.1million confiscated. This is separate to the clubs' and kit manufacturers’ own seizures.
The conference featured exhibits from Premier League clubs demonstrating the difference between their official merchandise and fake goods. There were presentations from industry experts, as well as the chance for clubs, commercial partners, and kit manufacturers to engage with enforcement officers.
Representatives from Arsenal, the NFL and Uefa made presentations and Richard Masters, Premier League Managing Director, said: "Football Against Fakes is about creating a forum where the collective experience and strategies of industry experts can be shared to reduce the trade of counterfeit merchandise.
"Everyone attending is committed to preventing the illegal sale of low-quality and sometimes dangerous goods by counterfeiters seeking to profit at the expense of loyal Premier League supporters."
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