Local News
Contraband World Cup footballs confiscated
By Giselle Borg Olivier
Jun 8, 2006, 17:27

World Cup merchandise was intercepted at Customs when footballs were found to be branded with logos which were not part of the official FIFA World Cup 2006 merchandise. About 600 boxes containing 21,000 footballs were found. The Maltese Customs were the first to catch this kind of contraband merchandise involving this year's World Cup.

A 40-foot container which was on its way to Mexico from the Far East was the subject of intense scrutiny by Customs officials after results from the VACIS (Vehicle and Container Inspection System) mechanism and the declared content did not tally. Foreign experts confirmed that the logo printed on the footballs was not the official one, but was a fake.

FIFA officials were informed about the findings who requested that the merchandise be kept by Maltese Customs for further legal action.

See also MaltaMedia special feature about the 2006 FIFA World Cup from a Maltese Perspective.

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