Cola brands spat over Beckham bottle
While events on the pitch may well be more than two months away, the first salvo in the off-field marketing battle has been fired in the run-up to this summer's World Cup.
David Beckham has found himself at the centre of a spat between the two leading Cola brands, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
The England captain, who is reportedly paid £1m a year to advertise Pepsi, is set to star alongside 10 other famous footballers in a special Pepsi World Cup advertising campaign.
The first advert, due to be screened in May, features a Pepsi team taking on sumo wrestlers for the prize of a fridge full of the soft drink.
Coca-Cola's multi-million pound sponsorship of the England football team, however, has allowed the brand to controversially place the Manchester United star at the centre of its World Cup marketing plans.
Coca-Cola is forbidden from using Beckham as the sole ambassador for the brand, but by using three or more players it has managed to circumnavigate copyright laws and use Beckham to spearhead the launch of a range of limited edition bottles featuring England players.
The shrink-wrapped bottles will be released exclusively to pubs and bars in England and Wales from April 22 and will consist of four designs - goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers.
The midfielder bottle, for example, is adorned with images of Beckham (pictured), Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes.
A spokesperson for Pepsi said: "David Beckham has a long-term relationship with Pepsi and we are confident that customers know that he has signed for the winning team."
With the majority of World Cup matches due to kick off before noon and a reluctance among magistrates to extend alcohol licences, soft drink sales within pubs are expected to benefit hugely during the tournament.
