Tearing a leaf from Prince Harry’s book of 100 Great Laughs, German-born Andre Gumprecht turned up at the post-season thrash for his football team, Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, in a Hitler costume, complete with “distinctive Hitler-style moustache.”

As news of Mr Gumprecht’s costume leaked out, the area suddenly decided it didn’t care much for either German. Ben Buckley, head of the Australian FA, even went so far as to call the outfit “stupid”.

Mr Gumprecht, while contrite, blamed his decision on the lack of options available to a German trying to operate in Australian cultural space, especially when it comes to fancy dress. “Being a German it’s very sad,” he said, “but when you talk about Germans in Australia or anywhere then straight away people call you a Nazi or Hitler, because that’s the only thing they know about Germany.”

Not even Mr Gumprecht himself, it turned out, was convinced by the idea. “I thought, can I wear this?” he said. “I had mixed feelings to be honest, because in Germany you could go to jail.”

One man who was delighted to see his teammate grab the headlines, however, was Mariners defender Tony Vidmar. He’d somehow talked himself into showing up in white robes and black face. This was believed to have been a reference to Morgan Freeman’s role in the film Bruce Almighty, in which he played God. Mr Buckley has yet to confirm whether this idea was also “stupid.”