Thought this poster advertising a friendly soccer match in Milan between Tibet and Padania (supporters of Italy’s thuggish Northern League party) was some sort of Sambuca-induced hallucination.

But authoritative Italian daily Corriere della Sera reports the game is the real deal.

Billed as an event where “for two peoples seeking freedom” compete, it’s not clear whether there’s an actual soccer team from Tibet (though there were some fellow exiles when the Dalai Lama spoke here in December, it’s hard to imagine where they’d come up with 11 good men for sport), it’s an interesting publicity move for the Padanians, who are in an entirely different kind of struggle to get recognized as a land.

The political party just won a nice chunk of support in recent elections, but it’s predicted they’ll have to tone down the usual rants against foreigners and secession from Rome to fit in. It’s not the first extra-political event they’ve created, after all they did invent the Miss Secessionist beauty pageant, currently in its 10th year.

Info:
No entrance fee but door donations go to Tibetan Children’s Villages, an organization founded by the Dalai Lama’s sister.
Wednesday, May 7, 8:45 p.m.
Civic Arena, Parco Sempione
Milan