Leeuwenhosen (; singular ''leeuwenhose'') are orange-colored, lion-tailed

overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

s distributed by the Bavaria Brewery, a popular

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

, during the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

. The concept was realized by Peer Swinkels, the chairman of Bavaria. The leeuwenhosen refers to the lion as the Dutch national symbol, as is the 2006 FIFA World Cup mascot

Goleo VI Goleo VI, commonly known as Goleo, and Pille, were the official mascots for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Goleo takes the form of a lion, and is never found far from his sidekick, Pille, a talking football. Goleo is clad in a white footb ...

. The word "leeuwenhosen" is a mix of the Dutch word for "lions" and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

word for "trousers", in the same style as the German article of clothing called

lederhosen Lederhosen (; , ; singular in German usage: ''Lederhose'') are short or knee-length leather breeches that are worn as traditional garments in some regions of German-speaking countries. The longer ones are generally called ''Bundhosen'' or ''Kn ...

2006 controversy

During the

Bavaria distributed orange Leeuwenhosen (orange being the Dutch national colour, representing the royal

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

) with their company logo in cases of beer in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in support of the

Netherlands national football team The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal ...

. The problem with this was that Bavaria was not an official sponsor of the World Cup;

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...

was the official beer sponsor. During the 16 June 2006 match between the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast team, spectators wearing Bavaria-branded Leeuwenhosen were ordered to disrobe by officials in Stuttgart, and many of these Dutch supporters watched the game in their

underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

. FIFA reportedly anticipated this act of "

ambush marketing Ambush marketing or ambush advertising is a marketing strategy in which an advertiser " ambushes" an event to compete for exposure against other advertisers. The term was coined by marketing strategist Jerry Welsh, while he was working as the m ...

" and instructed officials to distribute orange shorts to fans who required them after removing the Leeuwenhosen. The Leeuwenhosen are no longer distributed by Bavaria, and they are now regarded as a

collector's item A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

by fans of the 2006 World Cup and breweriana collectors.

2010 controversy

Bavaria again distributed orange memorabilia in the Netherlands before the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, as is customary of breweries in the Netherlands. Unbranded orange minidresses were one of the promotional items, but FIFA officials again felt that this was an attempt at

by Bavaria, who was not the official beer sponsor (Budweiser was again the official sponsor). Following the Netherlands-

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

match in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, FIFA forcibly removed 36 female fans because they wore the dresses and detained and questioned the three Dutch nationals for three hours (the other 33 were South African). Bavaria Chairman Peter Swinkels said of the incident, "There is not even a logo on those dresses, so what are we doing wrong? Since when is there a dress code at games?" Lawyers for FIFA investigated the incident, and found that many of the tickets were distributed to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

television network ITV. The tickets were sold to Bavaria by ITV pundit

Robbie Earle Robert Fitzgerald Earle MBE (born 27 January 1965) is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals. A former youth playe ...

, who was sacked by the network for the incident.World Cup 2010: ITV sacks Robbie Earle for breaking ticket regulations

References

2006 FIFA World Cup Beer advertising Fictional lions Drink advertising characters Male characters in advertising