China's fake jersey buyers back Spain

If China's booming market for fake goods is any guide, Spain are on course to end their long World Cup drought next month. Counterfeit versions of the Spanish jersey – whose vibrant colours evoke the red and yellow of the Chinese communist flag – are the top-selling World Cup merchandise on auction sites such as Taobao.com.

More than 100,000 jerseys of World Cup teams have been sold online, most of them fakes costing around 50 yuan (Dh26.8) each, the China Daily reported, citing online sales data.

Pirated Spain kits lead the way with 17,430 sold, followed by the shirts of Germany, England, France, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands and Japan, it said.

An authentic Spain shirt from Adidas sporting a player's name costs as much as 1,499 yuan – more than most Chinese earn in a month.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.