AC Milan football 'players' perform pre-match haka

AC Milan players performing a pre-match haka

AC Milan bizarrely performed the haka before playing Carpi on Friday morning.

Or, at least, some blokes dressed in their kit did.

The Serie A giants had some actors pull off a cringe-inducing version of the dance usually reserved for the New Zealand rugby side.

The odd video got weirder as it emerged the poor blokes who agreed to dance did so to please club sponsors Nivea.

Milan reportedly named its clunky war dance the Tekitanka - which was branded on advertising boards around the stadium alongside social media hashtags and Nivea signage.

Video footage of the performance shows the actors pretending to apply cream to their face.

The reaction to one of sport's most awful - truly gut-wrenchingly awful - promotions was unforgiving.

The Daily Mirror's Thomas Bristow wrote: "We really wish this wasn't true".

"This is one of those times when you put your head into your hands and ask, 'what is the world coming to?'.

"AC Milan - one of the great clubs of European football - have just committed social suicide and the Internet is exploding."

La #Tekitanka finalmente a San Siro! #MilanCarpi #NIVEAMen 🙌🏻🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/6jxbGvuME7

— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 21, 2016