JOHANNESBURG — More than 30 women showed up at the Netherlands-Denmark match Monday wearing orange mini-dresses emblazoned with the name of a Dutch brewery — earning them a red card from World Cup officials who acted to quash what they called an ambush marketing scam.
The stunt might have irked FIFA, soccer’s governing body, but it got Dutch brewer Bavaria NV what it wanted — free publicity.
The women went to the game dressed as Danish supporters. But in the 25th minute of the match, the women stripped off their red-and-white gear to reveal their bright orange dresses, tossing the other clothes into the crowd.
FIFA officials escorted the women out of the stadium after the game and took them to the nearby offices of the South African Football Federation, where the women said they were questioned for several hours.
“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” said John Sweeney, head of advertising at the University of North Carolina’s school of journalism, “and the mouse won.”
