Arcadia Foundation

The following post is brought to us by Amsterdam Group.net, Public Relations liaisons to the Arcadia Foundation:

World Cup fever is in full swing – the event shines a geopolitical spotlight on every nation showcased on a daily basis. This time around, the public relations initiatives behind each team seem to be near-tangible. For some of the more oppressive regimes, they may even be downright embarrassing.

Since leaving the country is an impossibility for prison- er, citizens of North Korea, the marketing gurus from the Jong-Il administration have decided to recruit their Chinese friends to make the trip for them and support the Chollima, the nickname of North Korea’s embattled but unbowed soccer team.

And so the Beijing office of the North Korean Sports Committee is dolling out tickets to the tournament, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The Chinese fans, hired to be dressed head to toe with North Korean fan attire, will attend North Korea’s games against Brazil and Portugal.

North Korea is looking to distribute at least 1,000 tickets to these Chinese rent-a-fans.

North Korean President Kim Jong Il, the ‘all-powerful, everlasting son of the Eternal Leader’, is reputed not merely to meddle in the team, but actually to pick it. This will be yet another example of the politics behind the players, and symbolize the erratic authoritarianism behind the world’s most secretive regime.

I for one, will be watching their upcoming match with Brazil with pen and pad in hand.

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