The Customs Department has confiscated a 40-foot container containing over 21,000 fake footballs bearing a false World Cup logo, a department statement said yesterday.

Malta is actually the first country that has managed to register a case in which false World Cup balls have been discovered, the statement added. The authorities said that the container was on its way from Mexico to the Far East and Customs officials had decided to investigate after it was found that the accompanying documents and the Vehicle and Container Inspection Report did not match.

The local authorities also informed international football federation FIFA about the case and the association asked for a number of balls to be retained as samples as it would be instigating legal proceedings against all those involved in this illegal operation.