Ambushers in orange at the beautiful game

The Bavarian beer company that pulled an advertising stunt at a football game in South Africa was just trying to get in on the action - emptying fans' pockets

These women were arrested, but not for their lack of fashion sense.

Ambush marketeers are rapidly replacing pirates as the public's favourite villains. Last week in South Africa, a Dutch brewery hired a band of lithe young ladies and sent them into the stands clad in short orange dresses. The result? Endless media coverage whose impact was matched only by fury from FIFA. The women were arrested, then released on bail, but who knows where they will strike next?

With creativity lacking on the pitch, it is at least rewarding that somebody in an office is thinking up ways to entertain us. Of course, some professional marketeers do not see it that way. "The agency who dreamt up the orange girls stunt should be shot," says Jamie Cunningham, the chief executive of Professional Sports Group, an Abu Dhabi-based sports marketing company that includes Etihad Airways among its clients.

"Ultimately, a FIFA sponsor pays millions for its World Cup partnerships. As part of that agreement, in which FIFA effectively guarantees the sponsor category exclusivity within all the stadia and in all FIFA marketing, FIFA is expected to take every precaution to protect the partner brand and ensure that it is the sole partner associated with the tournament. They have done that, and the fact that this case involves 36 attractive women dressed in orange misses the whole point.

"While the Bavaria beer stunt is fun and FIFA's reaction can be portrayed as harsh, the brewery chose to spend their marketing dollars on this stunt. I hope that they have really deep pockets. Ultimately, they crossed the line by promoting their brand in a FIFA venue. Personally, I would be surprised and disappointed if FIFA did not sue both Bavaria and their agencies. It would send the wrong signal to sponsors and agencies if they did not."

Obviously such action would discourage similar events in the future. But it will not reassure observers who are already complaining about the quality of some of the games. Many spectators watching what has to be one of the most lacklustre World Cups on record say that the matches have been tainted by commercialisation. Some of the blame can be pinned on FIFA, for with its desire to draw every last dollar out of advertisers and viewers, everything is strictly controlled. But is the quality any better than in the old days when Bobby Moore's first wife, Tina, earnt more than the England captain who picked up the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966?

"FIFA sponsorship has become very demanding," says Olivier Auroy, the managing director of Fitch, a brand consultancy. "It leaves little room for creativity and free expression. All sponsors' commercials are annoyingly conventional by showcasing cheerful supporters and big, flying balls. Too many people to please, too much money involved." Pampered premier league footballers appear either unwilling or unable to make much of an effort. With even mighty Brazil struggling to finish off the minnows of North Korea and Italy managing only a draw with New Zealand, it is hard not to conclude that the money men have affected everything from the mood in the camp to the swerve of the ball. Not everybody agrees.

"Sport is commercial," says Mr Cunningham. "Sportsmen are paid millions because we all chose to watch them. Sponsors fund the event in every sense - from watching it on your sofa at home or in a bar ? to being at the match itself. You can argue that the sponsors keep the cost of watching the World Cup down for all of us. Regardless, FIFA has every right to charge them millions for the privilege of being involved with the greatest football show on Earth."

Sports marketeers say the trick with ambush marketing is to make the connection without crossing the line. For example, some observers are suggesting that Nike has already won the marketing cup with its three minute commercial starring Rooney, Ronaldo and Ronaldhino. While none of them has yet to make any impact on the matches - and Ronaldhino failed to make the Brazilian squad travelling to South Africa - more than 17 million people have watched it online, while Nike has not had to pay a penny to FIFA because Adidas is the main sponsor.

"Such media spending is the acceptable side of ambush marketing since FIFA cannot stop the global media from sourcing advertising from rivals to FIFA sponsors," says Mr Cunningham. "Their business model is not as simple as that of the Champions League, which just blocks rival ads from the TV coverage." And the advertisement, "Write the Future", has won the admiration of those in the industry. "Definitely, Nike has won," says Mr Auroy. "Their commercial has managed to capture what the World Cup is really about: a hero moment, a chance to be the one to worship or to blame."

But is the drive of the money men to squeeze ever more profit from the game threatening its very existence? Football fans in particular are incredibly loyal. Freddy Shepherd and Douglas Hall, when directors of Newcastle United Football Club, were caught by a News of the World exposé mocking the club's own supporters for spending extortionate amounts of money on merchandise. That was more than 10 years ago, but everybody on the business side of the game continues to squeeze the consumer. Of course, marketeers point out that there are many more games available for viewing these days. Back in the 1970s, for example, British viewers were lucky if they got to see a Wednesday night game and match of the day highlights at the weekend. Now you can watch every game your favourite team plays, while wearing a nightshirt and slippers embossed with its logo.

Constant viewers and association with success have benefited sponsors and created millionaires out of even the most mundane footballers. However, not even the best-laid sponsorship plans always run to form. On Monday, Credit Agricole, the French bank, announced that it was pulling an advertising campaign featuring the French team after the team's dismal run of performances and antics that included refusing to train.

The players were dubbed "imbeciles" by their coach, Raymond Domenech. According to Les Echos, a French newspaper, annual sponsorship and television rights are worth about ?70 million (Dh316.8m), a sum paid by Carrefour, a retailer, SFR, a telecoms company and Adidas, the sports manufacturer, and others. Who needs ambush marketing when your own team can shoot itself in the foot and ridicule its sponsors?