Fans in Qatar have been spotted in a variety of fake Argentina shirts based on concept designs.
Concept-Based Fakes Spotted in Qatar
A lot has been made online of the large numbers of Qatari, Indian and Pakistani fans supporting various national teams at the World Cup in Qatar. Whether they are being paid to be there or not, they have at least given us a look at how concept kit designs posted online are being produced by counterfeiters more and more frequently.
Fake shirts have been a part of football for decades and in the past they were either based on real shirts, or just generic looking versions in the team's colours. Their quality has been steadily improving over the last few years to the point that some are genuinely difficult to tell apart from the real deal. Others, not so much.
Thanks to the growth in kit culture and social media over the years, there has been a new phenomenon emerging for a while now. Concept kit designs, created and posted online by football fans and graphic designers have ended up being manufactured by counterfeiters. We've seen plenty of these for sale online before, and these Argentina supporters are proof that plenty of them end up being bought.
Have you seen many concept-based fakes out in the real world? Do you think any of these Argentina designs would have made for a good official kit? Comment below.