A sports memorabilia collector in eastern France is livid at this hour, after French customs officials destroyed a $10,000 soccer jersey that the man purchased on eBay. Olivier Demolis bought the No. 20 jersey worn by striker David Trezeguet when France beat Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final. The seller lives in Brazil, and mailed it to France. There are strict customs laws in France, and when authorities gave the jersey a thorough pat-down, they determined it was fake.
“I was told that the jersey had been destroyed as a fake by customs officials. I went mad,” Demolis told the French newspaper Le Dauphin Libere. “He’s a very well-known vendor and the jersey was official. You could see that, so I cracked. For me, it was the ultimate piece in my collection.”
French customs told Demolis they became suspicious because the stitching on the jersey was of poor quality. The matter is now in court.
According to several sources, French customs law allows customs officials to seize items suspected of being contraband, but those items must be set aside for at least a week to allow the owner to file a grievance. According to the source above, the jersey was destroyed within hours of its arrival in France. Very strange. Inspector Poirot has been notified.
Nice going France. The Maginot Line was a sieve, but soccer jerseys you stop.
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The French Take Their Fashion Snobbery To New High [Rumors & Rants]
Customs destroy ‘fake’ Trezeguet jersey [Isolezwe]
