Tifo

A basic card display mosaic tifo at Montreal's old Claude Robillard Centre ground
A tifo combining held shields and multiple hoisted painted banners at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Tifo (Italian: [ˈtiːfo]) is the phenomenon whereby tifosi of a sports team make a visual display of any choreographed flag, sign or banner in the stands of a stadium, mostly as part of an association football match.[1]

Tifo is most commonly seen in important matches, local derbies, and rivalries, and although the tradition originated at club teams, some national teams also have fans that organise tifo on a regular basis.[2] Tifo is primarily arranged by ultras or a supporter club to show their love to the club,[3][4][5] but are sometimes sponsored or arranged by the club itself.

  1. ^ "What is a tifo?". MLSsoccer.com. 1 January 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020.
  2. ^ "DBU – fra leg til landshold!". Dbu.dk. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  3. ^ Parker, Graham (28 June 2012). "Portland Timbers' giant tifo throws down gauntlet to Seattle Sounders". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  4. ^ Andrew Harvey (15 July 2016). "Schmid: Timbers still haven't caught Sounders". Sportspress Northwest. Retrieved 17 July 2016. Last season, Seattle fans mocked Portland with a tifo that read 'Pity'.
  5. ^ Molly Blue (17 July 2016). "Watch: Timbers Army welcomes Seattle Sounders with 'Legends Never Sleep,' Freddy Krueger-inspired tifo". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 17 July 2016. As cheers exploded, a red-and-black tifo was rolled out—'Legends Never Sleep,' a play on the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movie franchise.