Dutch Fans Go Pantsless Over Beer Logos

Published June 19, 2006 at 4:00 PM EDT

First, the bikes, then the pants. The Dutch have a famous cheer that dates back to World War II: "Give Us Back Our Bicycles." The chant stems from the German occupation of Holland.

Some 1,000 Dutch soccer fans were presented with an odd conundrum when they tried to watch their national team's game in Stuttgart, Germany. They were ordered to give up their pants -- or they would not be allowed into the viewing area.

At issue: Many of the spectators were wearing the trademark orange pants of the Bavaria Beer company. But an exclusive World Cup sponsor is Budweiser. In the end, most of the fans attended the game in their underwear.

Robert Siegel talks with Peer Swinkels, chairman of the Bavaria Beer company in Lieshout, Holland.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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