The multiple identity is named after the association footballer Luther Blissett, who used to play for Watford F.C. and A.C. Milan in the 1980s, among other teams. It is particularly popular among Italian subcultural activists and artists, possibly because of the Milan connection. The reasons the group chose the name remain unclear to mainstream journalists (e.g. the BBC suggested that Blissett, one of the first black footballers to play in Italy, may have been chosen to make a statement against right-wing extremists in the country).Cf. "Luther Blissett Anarchist Hero", on BBC News - Football, 9 March 1999. It has also been suggested that, when being scouted by A. C. Milan, the Watford player they were impressed with was in fact John Barnes and they mistakenly bid for Blissett being one of the two black strikers at the club. If this is the case, the group may have taken the name as a reference to a red herring.
