SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY have threatened to remove fans wearing fake football shirts from their stadium.
The Championship club have issued a warning to all supporters ahead of their league campaign beginning on Sunday.
Wednesday start their new season with a home clash against Wayne Rooney‘s Plymouth Argyle on Sunday afternoon.
But any fans who have dodged paying for an official shirt, by bagging themselves a cheap counterfeit alternative, could face eviction from the season opener at Hillsborough.
A statement released by the club read: “The rise of counterfeit shirts continues to become increasingly evident in the football industry.
“We respectfully remind supporters that as well as being inferior in terms of quality and potentially unsafe due to materials used, counterfeit shirts and their sales impact directly on club revenues.
“Official SWFC merchandise can be purchased only from the Owls Megastore or online store.
“Brand protection teams work together with the relevant authorities to remove counterfeit selling websites and will continue to do so.
“Offline, all parties concerned will remain diligent in making every effort to close down the illegal trade of counterfeit goods.
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“To that end, requests for lettering and/or numbering on any counterfeit shirts brought into the Megastore will be declined.
“Although we cannot prevent supporters from wearing counterfeit shirts away from Hillsborough, we do respectfully request that such products are not displayed inside the stadium.
“Anyone found to be wearing a fake shirt inside Hillsborough could be asked to leave, with information passed on to the relevant parties.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
There has been an exponential rise in the purchase of fake football shirts in recent years as the prices for official jerseys continue to increase.
An official Sheffield Wednesday short sleeve home shirt from the club’s online store is currently being sold for £69, with the long sleeve shirt on sale for a whopping £77.
While fake alternatives can be found elsewhere online for a fraction of the price.
Knock-off shirts became a problem during this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament, with German law prohibiting the sale and possession of fake designer goods.
Fans found with rip-off kits faced a penalty of up to £4,000 and risked random checks from German authorities throughout the tournament.
Sheffield Wednesday claim that the sale of fake shirts “directly impacts” club revenue.
Wednesday have found themselves in financial turmoil over recent seasons as the club looked to pay off HMRC debt.
Controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri even pleaded with Owls fans to raise £2million among themselves to pay off an HMRC debt that the club owed in October 2023.
While he also made headlines for reportedly labelling a fan as an “idiot” after receiving an email demanding that he sells the Yorkshire club.
