10 arrested over fake World Cup shirts

Chinese police have arrested 10 people suspected of making and selling fake World Cup shirts worth more than 30 million yuan ($4.8 million), the Ministry of Public Security announced on Monday.

Police of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Guangdong and Fujian provinces have seized more than 150,000 counterfeit World Cup shirts, including jerseys of football teams, in a joint operation under the command of the ministry.

Police in Guangxi received tip-offs from locals in May and launched an investigation into the case, which involved a clothing factory in the region, an underground manufacturer in Fujian, and wholesale markets in Guangzhou, the ministry said.

Some of the fake shirts have spilt into markets in Africa, central Asia and other parts of the world, severely damaging China's reputation, said the ministry, which is still investigating the case.