Referee-turned-politician Philippe Leuba of Switzerland used as part of his campaign material a shot of him shaking hands with David Beckham before the England-Argentina friendly he reffed in 2005.
In the photo, Beckham's speech bubble had him saying, ''I hope you are just as impartial in the state parliament as you were on the soccer field.''
Beckham's lawyers reacted quickly, pointing out that Beckham neither authorized the use of his image nor endorsed the candidate, and took measures to prevent further distribution of the photo.
''It was just a joke, a surprise that a friend arranged for me in the newspapers,'' Leuba told Reuters. ''I don't think anybody in Switzerland would really have thought that David Beckham was supporting my campaign or even knew anything about it.''