BAVARIA 4-WAY DRESSERS WERE ARRESTED IN SOUTH AFRICA

A group of 36 Dutch women were arrested in Johannesburg on Monday because they were dressed in the wrong skirts. And we thought, wow, yet another successful guerilla ad campaign. It even made it to the news FREE!

FIFA officials discovered them in the Soccer City stadium and reported them to police after the Holland-Denmark duel. The girls wore orange miniskirts, so-called Dutch Dresses, supplied by Bavaria brewery, a competitor of FIFA's official sponsor Budweiser. The officials acted against the Bavaria girls on the basis of the contract with Budweiser, which stipulates that other beer brands are not allowed to advertise in the World Championship stadiums.

Bavaria initially denied any involvement, claiming that the 36 women belonged to a student group who purchased the skirts and paid their own expenses, including the trip to South Africa. But Bavaria's Managing Director Peer Swinkels told reporters that he was appalled the Dutch Dress girls were arrested. "There is not even a brand name on those skirts, so what are we doing wrong? Since when are there clothing conventions during football matches?"

Mr Swinkels admitted that Bavaria had footed the bill for the Dutch Dress campaign. Barbara Castelein, a spokeswoman for the so-called Oranje Babes said they were shocked by FIFA's rough-shod handling of the case. "We were forcibly manhandled, some girls were covered in bruises. All of a sudden the action lost its innocence." They were held in police cells for four hours. Ms Castelein says the group was having second thoughts about a follow-up to the dress action.