Muslims Demand Removal of Flags from Brothel Ad

A slight play on the motto of this summer's soccer World Cup, "A Time to Make Friends," angered Saudi Arabian and Iranian officials who demanded their flags be taken off a 24-meter-high by 8-meter-wide (78 by 26 ft) brothel advertisement with the slogan that translates to "A Time to Make Girlfriends."

The Saudi and Iranian flags have since been covered in black paint while the flags of the other 30 nations participating in the World Cup finals, which run from June 9 to July 9, remain visible on ad for Cologne's Pascha brothel that features a scantly clad blonde.

"The situation was explosive," brothel owner Armin Lobscheid told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, adding he didn't mean to offend anyone. "Some of the people compared our ad to the Danish Mohammed cartoons."

Prostitution is legal in Germany, where the authorities are preparing for a possible increase in the sex trade during the World Cup.