China

French supermarket recalls fake World Cup balls in China

(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-13 13:46

Fake soccer balls bearing markings similar to those used at the World Cup have been pulled from the shelves of French supermarket chain Carrefour's Chinese stores, media reports said Tuesday.

Carrefour staff discovered the balls resembling Adidas' official "Teamgeist," or Team Spirit, model soon after their delivery and withdrew them on June 7 after about 40 had been sold, the Shanghai Morning Post newspaper reported.

Carrefour was allowing purchasers to return them at double the initial purchase price of about 60 yuan (US$6;euro5), the report said. Authentic Adidas World Cup balls retail in China from 200-990 yuan (US$25-US$123;euro20-euro98).

Those weren't the first fake World Cup balls to pop up in China. Customs agents last month confiscated 600 balls stamped "FIFA 2006 World Cup Germany" without authorization from FIFA, world soccer's governing body.

Such copyright piracy is rampant across China, although the government has sought to boost awareness among law enforcement in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Reports said Carrefour's balls had been provided by a company in the nearby city of Hangzhou, identified by the Chinese name Sudiman Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd.

That firm had no listed phone number and spokesmen for Carrefour were not immediately available to comment on the report.

The reports said Carrefour, which operates 70 stores in China, had already notified Adidas of the action and apologized, the reports said.

Carrefour caters mostly to a low-income customers attracted by its cheap prices, and has come under criticism before for selling meat products after their expiry date.