Fifa's War on Fans: The Battle Over Orange Lederhosen

Dutch football fans have become enthralled with wearing orange lederhosen to watch their team play in the World Cup, with a quarter of a million supporters donning the patriotic garb. However, officials from Fifa took offense to the lederhosen, which bore the name of a Dutch beer, Bavaria, not an official World Cup sponsor. As a result, more than 1,000 Dutch fans were forced to remove their lederhosen, with many watching the game in their underpants. The incident has sparked controversy over Fifa's protection of its sponsors and the seemingly unlimited power they wield over global sporting events.

Key Takeaways:

• Over a quarter of a million Dutch football fans have purchased orange lederhosen to support their team in the World Cup, sparking a trend that has become a cult outfit.
• The lederhosen carry the name of a Dutch beer, Bavaria, which is not an official World Cup sponsor, leading to Fifa's officials confiscating them.
• More than 1,000 Dutch fans were forced to remove their lederhosen before watching Holland's match against the Ivory Coast, leaving many to watch the game in their underpants.
• Peer Swinkels, chairman of Bavaria, expressed disappointment with Fifa's decision, stating that fans had been told they could get their lederhosen back, but the container for them was full of rubbish.
• Fifa claims it has done nothing wrong and is entitled to defend itself against "ambush marketing," but critics argue that the decision shows the extraordinary lengths to which Fifa will go to protect its sponsors at the expense of ordinary fans.
• Fifa's six suppliers and 15 official partners, including Yahoo and McDonald's, have spent €700m on the tournament, and without their money, staging the competition would be impossible.
• The incident raises questions about the level of control Fifa exercises over fans and the power that sponsors wield over global sporting events.
• British politicians have voted to give sponsors a major role in the 2012 London Olympics, sparking further debate over the commercialization of sports.

Statistics:

• Over 250,000 Dutch football fans have purchased orange lederhosen.
• Fifa's six suppliers and 15 official partners have spent €700m on the tournament.
• The World Cup would be impossible to stage without the money from these sponsors.
• More than 1,000 Dutch fans were forced to remove their lederhosen before watching Holland's match against the Ivory Coast.

Sources:

• "Byline: Luke Harding, Berlin and Andrew Culf, Cologne For Dutch football fans it has become the summer's cult outfit. Over the past few months, a quarter of a million Holland supporters have bought themselves a pair of patriotic orange lederhosen - wearing them whenever Holland take to the pitch in the World Cup."
• "Fifa said its six suppliers and 15 official partners - among them Yahoo, McDonald's and the American brewery that makes Budweiser - had spent euros 700m (pounds 480m) on the tournament."
• "Sjoerd Schreurs, a Dutch supporter who had to take his trousers off. "I queued for 25 minutes to get in. When I reached the front, an official told me: 'You're not getting in like that'. I took my trousers off. I managed to chuck them over the fence to some friends. But another official spotted them and took them away.'"
• "Mr Swinkels has written to Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, asking whether Dutch fans would have to remove their trousers again when Holland take on Argentina on Wednesday in Frankfurt."
• "Nigel Currie, chairman of the European Sponsorship Association, said: 'My view is that if there is a deliberate attempt to ambush an event, it should be stamped on.'"