The wrong trousers
Current vogue dictates that patriotic Dutch supporters should garb themselves in these rather fetching orange lederhosen.
Produced by Bavaria brewery as part of a World Cup promotion, a quarter of a million fans have purchased the leeuwenhose, or lion trousers, over the summer. They come in one colour only and, as is often the case with high fashion, feature oversized pockets for beer cans and a leonine tail.
Despite their popularity in the stands, the lederhosen have fallen foul of FIFA’s fashion police.
While one may have expected football’s governing body to object to any garment that isn’t a blazer, it was the prominent Bavaria branding on the trousers that provoked scorn.
The Dutch brewery is not an official World Cup sponsor; this venture into tailoring prompted FIFA to accuse Bavaria of “ambush marketing”.
So, in order to protect the interests of the company that stumped up to be associated with the event - the American brewer that makes Budweiser - FIFA took action.
Dutch fans arriving in Stuttgart for Friday’s game against Ivory Coast were forced to remove the offending trousers before being allowed into the ground. It’s been widely reported that hundreds of bemused supporters watched the game in their underwear.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Sjoerd Schreurs, a well-ventilated Dutchman. “I queued for twenty-five 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.”
Until I see documentary evidence, the skeptic in me wonders if this story has been exaggerated slightly. It seems odd that photos of massed ranks of Dutchmen in their underwear haven’t made it onto the Internet.
Dare I say it…? Alleviate my suspicions; contributions from immodest Dutch supporters would be gratefully received.
(Photo courtesy of Dan Kamminga)