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The organisation “UK Lawyers for Israel” (UKLFI) had on 26 October 2026 alerted four Premier League clubs to possible trade mark infringements and reported on them in an online article. On 5 November the online portal “Jewish News” also carried a report.
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Liverpool FC has confirmed that it is taking action against the sale of unauthorised football shirts featuring pro-Palestinian messages that display a modified version of the club crest. The club fears that fans could mistakenly take these shirts for official merchandise.
The Premier League club has therefore taken measures against online retailers who are using its protected trade marks without permission. The shirts are being sold via the website “From Palestine to the World”.
Crests and sponsor logos deliberately altered
Fake jerseys for several English Premier League clubs with pro-Palestinian messages are being offered online. Club crests, lettering and sponsor logos have been altered to spread political messages. The shirts are not authorised by the clubs concerned.
Manchester United: The club crest has been combined with the slogan “Manchester with Gaza”, and the centre shows a dove of peace carrying an olive branch. The club has passed the information on to its brand protection department.
Chelsea FC: The crest has been turned into “Palestine Club”, and the word “Palestine” appears on the shirt in place of the usual sponsor logo. The club has referred the matter to the relevant internal department for review.
Manchester City: The official shirt sponsor EtihadAirways has been replaced by the wording “Palestine Airways”. The club has confirmed receipt of the letter but has not yet announced any specific measures.
Liverpool FC: The iconic club crest has been modified and marked with the initials “P.L.C.”, which stand for the Palestinian legislature (Palestine Legislative Council).
The club has already taken steps and reported the relevant sales offers to website operators and social networks over possible trade mark infringements. Further action is planned.
Legal background
The background to these moves is possible breaches of UK trade mark law (Trade Marks Act 1994). Using protected club crests and logos without permission can constitute a trade mark infringement. Political expression and support for Palestine are generally protected by law, but this does not create a right to use protected trade marks.
There is also a risk that fans may mistake the shirts for official merchandise and thereby attribute to the clubs a political stance they have not adopted.
