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Johannesburg - FIFA has filed charges against organisers of a campaign that put 36 women in short orange dresses in Soccer City stadium, apparently to promote a Dutch beer, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The women were detained during the Netherlands-Denmark match on Monday and taken to a FIFA office where they say they were questioned for several hours.
The dresses were sold with Bavaria Beer packs in the Netherlands in the run-up to the World Cup.
"FIFA has filed charges against the organisers of the ambush marketing stunt pulled during the Netherlands-Denmark match," FIFA spokesperson Nicolas Maingot told a press conference.
"No charges have been filed against the women involved in this illicit activity."
The Dutch embassy in Pretoria made enquiries with South African authorities "about the grounds on which our citizens were held," foreign ministry spokesperson Aad Meijer told AFP in The Hague on Tuesday.
Three of the women were Dutch, he said, adding that no explanation had been forthcoming by Tuesday afternoon.
"We are not aware of any South African legislation that allows people to be detained for wearing an orange dress."
FIFA said the women were "used by a large Dutch brewery as an instrument for an ambush marketing campaign," although the dresses had only a small tag with the beer's brand on them.
Budweiser, an official sponsor, is the only beer company allowed to advertise within the stadiums. FIFA fiercely protects its marketing interests, which are a major cash spinner for the organisation.
The women were detained during the Netherlands-Denmark match on Monday and taken to a FIFA office where they say they were questioned for several hours.
The dresses were sold with Bavaria Beer packs in the Netherlands in the run-up to the World Cup.
"FIFA has filed charges against the organisers of the ambush marketing stunt pulled during the Netherlands-Denmark match," FIFA spokesperson Nicolas Maingot told a press conference.
"No charges have been filed against the women involved in this illicit activity."
The Dutch embassy in Pretoria made enquiries with South African authorities "about the grounds on which our citizens were held," foreign ministry spokesperson Aad Meijer told AFP in The Hague on Tuesday.
Three of the women were Dutch, he said, adding that no explanation had been forthcoming by Tuesday afternoon.
"We are not aware of any South African legislation that allows people to be detained for wearing an orange dress."
FIFA said the women were "used by a large Dutch brewery as an instrument for an ambush marketing campaign," although the dresses had only a small tag with the beer's brand on them.
Budweiser, an official sponsor, is the only beer company allowed to advertise within the stadiums. FIFA fiercely protects its marketing interests, which are a major cash spinner for the organisation.
