Dutch beer brand Bavaria has been caught up in a row over the ‘ambush marketing’ stunt that resulted in the sacking of an ITV World Cup pundit.

Around 40 female Dutch fans watched The Netherlands’ match against Denmark in identical orange mini-dresses allegedly supplied by the beer brand. They were marched from the ground by officials keen to protect the rights of official sponsors, which include Budweiser.

ITV pundit Robbie Earle, who allegedly supplied the tickets, has been sacked by the broadcaster for his role in the fiasco.

Bavaria denied it was behind any stunt, with marketing director Peer Swinkels commenting: “The Dutch people are a little crazy about orange and we wear it on public holidays and events like the World Cup.

“We put no branding on the dress and FIFA don't have a monopoly over orange.”

Bavaria has previously attracted the ire of FIFA. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Dutch fans were forced to remove orange lederhosen sporting the beer’s branding during The Netherlands’ match with Ivory Coast.

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