Arlington police spokesman Tim Ciesco said the department has been very pleased with fan behavior overall.
The region’s next World Cup game will take place Tuesday, July 14, at the Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium). It will be the tournament’s first semi-final game.
Ciesco said several officers are assigned to patrol the entertainment district on match days to look for any vendors who are attempting to sell unlicensed merchandise to fans.
It’s a crime to sell counterfeit trademarked merchandise, Ciesco said, and additionally, police want to ensure fans don’t get scammed by purchasing items that turn out to be fake or of lesser quality.
“The arrests we’ve made have been individuals who were selling counterfeit jerseys with trademarked logos or branding on them, such as Nike or Adidas, and who had significant quantities of them,” Ciesco said.
FIFA and several brands that produce the official jerseys have representatives on site who are experts at detecting counterfeit merchandise. Ciesco said the officials are able to inspect the jerseys and let officers know whether they’re legitimate or not.
Arlington police encourages fans not to purchase items from vendors outside the stadium and instead purchase licensed merchandise from official vendors inside the stadium, at the Fan Festival, or at official businesses.