Carlsberg-Tetley's multi-million pound warm-up plans for the World Cup could be shown a red card if a complaint by a rival brewer is upheld. The brewing giant is hoping to score millions of extra sales in the run up to this summer's tournament in Japan and Korea through its sponsorship of the England team. But an unnamed rival has complained to industry watchdog The Portman Group about promotional packaging which pictures young England stars Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen and captain David Beckham celebrating a goal. The complainant claims that the use of soccer stars on the outers of Carlsberg's 12-can packs will appeal to under 18s. It also argues that the use of Owen, aged 22, and 21-year-old Gerrard breaks the Portman's code of practice which says producers should not use characters under the age of 25 to promote their brands. A spokesman for The Portman Group said the complaint would be considered on March 13. If upheld, it would be a major blow for Carlsberg which is spending a large slice of this year's £45m marketing budget for its flagship lager on the brand's tie-up with the England team, although the brewer could challenge any ruling against it. It has a wide ranging programme of support for football in the UK, including a multi-million pound sponsorship deal with Liverpool. It is a shirt sponsor of Hibernian and backs the FA Carlsberg Vase. A spokeswoman for Carlsberg-Tetley said: "We uphold Portman's code, particularly in relation to under-18s and don't think we are in breach of it." {{DRINKS }}

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