Hard-up Prem fans ‘priced out of buying club shirts’ fuelling boom in fake kit for Christmas gifts

CASH-strapped Premier League fans are fuelling a boom in fake workforce shirts for Christmas gifts.

Records reveals supporters gain made 48,510 online searches for fraudulent prime-flight club clobber from September to the beginning of December.

In comparability, there were appropriate 4,230 searches from January to August, before the festive shopping season began.

Fake Manchester Utd shirts topped the table, with 17,730 searches.

The workforce’s official grownup dwelling shirt bills £80, and £55 for youth, whereas each and each creep for £12 on knock-off internet sites.

Betting region Footy Accumulators, which analysed the quest knowledge, stated: “It’s sad to ogle that clubs gain priced many real fans out of being ready to afford a shirt which is leading them to exercise internet sites selling fakes to purchase gifts for loved ones this Christmas.

“Rising prices indicate that a family of four who desire original shirts will want to fork out around £370 from club outlets whereas in the occasion that they creep to knock off internet sites the price will be more like £50.

“We hope that clubs throughout the UK take existing of these alarming figures and take a gape at to invent merchandise more affordable in the lengthy flee to assist supporters now now not want to expose to fraudulent merchandise.”

Inquire of for Arsenal fake shirts soared by 191 per cent over the beginning of the year from appropriate 680 to 5,940 in the flee as a lot as Christmas making fake Gooners tops the second most in examine.

Newcastle knock offs were third best in examine with 4,830 searches in comparison to appropriate earlier in the year – an incredible 419 per cent upward push.

Tottenham Hotspurs got here fourth with examine up from 440 to some,750 – a 184 per cent upward push.

Liverpool got here fifth on a 169 per cent increase from 460 to some,720.

In sixth region got here Manchester City on 3,150 knock off searches – up from 420 and a 150 per cent increase.