The International Football Association, soccer’s governing body, has warned PepsiCo Inc. that its potentially infringing the group’s trademark rights.  The Zurich-based Federation Internationale de Football Association, commonly known as FIFA, objected to a question Pepsi placed on a Chinese web site in April that made reference to the World Cup.  In a cease-and-desist letter, counsel for FIFA told Pepsi such references are “misleading” and demanded both that it be removed and that Pepsi issue an apology.  FIFA has already more than 3,000 cases involving trademark infringements or unauthorized attempts to piggyback marketing to Word Cup promotions.

The FIFA World Cup 2010 will start June 11 in South Africa.