The French Take Their Fashion Snobbery To New High

When governments aren’t shutting down totally awesome websites, which allow streaming bootleg sporting events, apparently they’re keeping your wardrobe safe from potential impostors.

A few months ago, Olivier Démoli, a Swiss sports memorabilia collector, bought a jersey worn by David Trezeguet in the 1998 World Cup Final between France and Brazil.

Apparently, there WERE only six of the French jerseys in circulation. I emphasis ‘were’ because Swiss customs destroyed the jersey when it arrived in the country from the online seller in Brazil. Customs claimed it was a counterfeit.

First off, apparently Las Vegas pawn shop dealers have better experts on call than the French government. Sure you don’t need to call Sean from Tortuga Arms or Mark and his hat from the Clark County museum, but there’s got to be someone. (I’m sure they know the difference between Monet and Manet though.)

Plus, if even if it is a counterfeit, why the need to destroy it? Démoli paid $10,000 for the shirt from a Brazilian collector. Let him decide if it’s fake or not. It’s not as if it was laced with cocaine.

Here’s a rough translation I was able to put together from the original article:

“It is a very known seller and the jersey was official. When I saw itself, then I cracked. For me, it was the ultimate of my collection. Afterward, I would have been able to stop, because this really takes time.”

The jersey was finally sent from Brazil. Olivier feverishly followed the package’s tracking on Internet. When the it arrived, the store phoned to tell him that it will cross search it in person.

On November 16th, 2010, the big day arrived. It arrived in the counter at 11 a.m., but they told him that the customs house grabbed the packet at 5:30 a.m.

“I said to them that I would return in the afternoon to recover it …And the bad news falls:  When I returned, I was told that the jersey had been destroyed for counterfeiting by the customs officers. I was crazy.”

Since, Olivier has fought for reparations. He even wrote to Nicolas Sarkozy, to the President of the FFF Fernand Duchaussoy and even. David Trezeguet. In January, it took a lawyer to plead its case and acquire repairing.”