Fox Announce Episode of The Simpsons with World Cup 2014 Theme

The Simpsons will air a World Cup-themed episode in March next year, Fox has announced.

The hit cartoon will see Homer end up as a World Cup referee, and get involved with match-fixers.

From the official statement:

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Scheduled to air in March 2014, a themed episode of The Simpsons inspired by the FIFA World Cup(TM) entitled "You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee," will feature Homer and his recruitment as a FIFA World Cup(TM) referee, after Lisa praises his integrity in a Springfield Elementary speech Contest held on the youth soccer field.

The episode follows Springfield's most famous family as it journeys to Brazil, only to find Homer's honesty put to the test by one of the slickest South American gangsters in the soccer match-bribing business.

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So while FIFA will doubtless be delighted that the World Cup will get a promotional boost from the world's favourite yellow family, they might be slightly less happy that the episode will have bribery and corruption as themes.

Still, with Fox also having the rights to the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, they can probably take a slightly more irreverent tone this time around.

Football and The Simpsons have crossed before.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both featured in an episode in 2007.

And West Ham's colours (well, almost, as Eurosport points out) appeared briefly in 2012.