JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African police have seized nearly 12,000 counterfeit South Africa soccer team shirts.
Police spokesman Colonel Vishnu Naidoo said Tuesday that they were worth 3.6 million rands ($493,000) and part of a haul of counterfeit clothing worth 3.8 million rand ($520,000) found in a truck at the Swaziland border on Saturday.
Naidoo said the goods had originated from China and would have “dented” South Africa’s economy if not detected.
Shirts for the country’s national team, known as Bafana Bafana, are becoming increasingly popular in the run-up to the June 11 start of the World Cup in South Africa.
Naidoo said police had informed FIFA and the tournament’s local organizing committee.
