Tifo (Italian:[ˈtiːfo]) is the phenomenon wherebytifosi 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 anassociation football match.[1]
Tifo are most commonly seen in important matches,local derbies, andrivalries, and although the tradition originated at club teams, some national teams also have fans that organisetifo on a regular basis.[2]Tifo is primarily arranged byultras or a supporter club to show their love to the club,[3][4][5] but are sometimes sponsored or arranged by the club itself.
Thepluraltifosi is used for a mixed sex or an all-male group; masculine singular istifoso, feminine singulartifosa, feminine pluraltifose.Tifosi (pronounced[tiˈfoːzi;-oːsi]) is agroup of supporters of a sports team, especially those that make up atifo.
The term is derived from Italiantifoso, meaning "typhus ortyphoid patient" (the two illnesses were often confused, and both were calledtifo in Italy), referring to the "fevered" behaviour of the most dedicated fans. TheTimes of Malta pointed out that the English term "fan" sounds similarly odd to Italian ears, as to themfanatico usually is only used in the context of religiousfanaticism.[6] Journalist Birgit Schönau traces the termtifosi back to the 1920s, a time when football fever was spreading in Italy andtyphoid fever was also still prevalent in the poorer parts of the country.[7]
Other sources link it to Greek τῦφος (typhos, "smoke"), which is also related etymologically to the disease, but historianJohn Foot states that a derivation from the disease is more plausible.[8]
Thetifos culture, like the origin of its name, has its roots in Italy andSouthern Europe, and has a strong presence inEastern Europe. It has much in common with theultras culture and appeared at the same time, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Tifo, while highly prevalent in Europe,[9] has become more widespread and more common in all parts of the world where association football is played.[citation needed] It gained popularity in the late 2000s and early 2010s amongMajor League Soccer teams in the United States, with some supporters' groups spending up to $10,000 for materials.[10] ThePortland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry has featured some of the largest and most elaborate tifos in U.S. soccer.[3]
Tifosi is mainly used to describe fans of clubs infootball. Apart from the many local fan clubs in Italy, whose main role is, for example, to provide a meeting place for fans and friends and organize away trips, since the late 1960s, many Italian fans rely on organized stadium groups known asultras. The main goal is to choreograph fan support withflags,banners, coloured smoke screens, flares,drums, and chanting in unison. For most teams city rivalries, colours,coat of arms, symbols, and the overall iconography have roots in theMiddle Ages and earlyRenaissance.
A fictional depiction of atifoso in football is shown inTifosi, an Italian film released in 1999.[11]
The word is commonly used to describe fans along the roadside at professional road cycling races in Italy such asTirreno–Adriatico,Milan–San Remo, theGiro d'Italia, and theGiro di Lombardia.
Passionate supporters of Italian cycling teams and cyclists are called "thetifosi".
It has become common to use the word "tifosi" (in Italian lit. "fans") to refer to the supporters ofScuderia Ferrari inFormula One.[12] Italian motor racing fans are well known for their love of Ferrari, though they have also been staunch supporters of other Italian cars such asMaserati,Lancia, andAlfa Romeo.
Thetifosi provide Formula One with a sea of red filling the grandstands at theItalian Grand Prix. One of the most commontifosi sights is the display of an enormous Ferrari flag in the grandstands during Formula One weekends at every race circuit, with especially large contingents showing up in Ferrari livery at home and nearby European tracks. A similar sight could be observed in former years during theSan Marino race, which was held at theAutodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near the town ofImola, 80 km (49.7 mi) east of the Ferrari factory inMaranello.
Thetifosi stuck by Ferrari during the struggles in the early 1990s, whereGerhard Berger andJean Alesi each won one race, as the front-running teams were McLaren, Williams, and Benetton.[13] The mid-1990s increase in the ranks of thetifosi can be directly traced to the arrival ofMichael Schumacher who joined Ferrari in1996, after winning two drivers' titles with Benetton, bringing over key personnel likeRoss Brawn andRory Byrne. Schumacher drove for Ferrari until his first retirement at the conclusion of the2006 season, leading the team to sixConstructors' Championship from 1999–2004 and personally winning five drivers' championships.
When Ferrari'sCharles Leclerc won at Monza 2019, which was the first time for the team since 2010, a massive crowd oftifosi went to the podium to celebrate the victory. As revealed byDavid Croft during the podium celebration, there is a strained relationship between thetifosi andMercedes, who have won in Monza from the start of the turbo hybrid era in 2014 to 2018. Whenever a Mercedes won the Italian GP, or made the podium, thetifosi would boo at the driver.
Thetifosi in Italy have been known to actually cheer for a non-Italian driver in a Ferrari passing an Italian driver in another make of car.[14] At the1983 San Marino Grand Prix, the crowd at Imola cheered long and loud when ItalianRiccardo Patrese crashed hisBrabham out of the lead of the race only 6 laps from home, handing FrenchmanPatrick Tambay the win in his Ferrari. Patrese himself had only passed Tambay for the lead half a lap earlier.
One driver who never actually drove for Ferrari but is supported by thetifosi is FrenchmanJean-Louis Schlesser. He drove for theWilliams team at the1988 Italian Grand Prix atMonza substituting for an illNigel Mansell. On lap 49 of the 51 lap race, Schlesser was unwittingly involved in the incident at the Variante del Rettifilo chicane that took out the leadingMcLaren-Honda ofAyrton Senna, fittingly handing Ferrari'sGerhard Berger andMichele Alboreto an emotional 1–2Italian Grand Prix result only a month after the death ofEnzo Ferrari. Berger's win handed McLaren their only loss of the 16-race1988 season.[15]
In more recent years, thetifosi have again shown appreciation for drivers outside Ferrari. After his thrilling win at Monza,Max Verstappen expressed delight at being "properly cheered" by the Italian fans, noting that it was the first time he felt genuine support from the Ferrari faithful. Verstappen stated, "The entire straight was filled with people, this was the first timetifosi properly cheered for me! The last two times I won here, the competition was Ferrari, and they were a little less happy with it."[16]
Tifos and choreographies have become increasingly popular inice hockey around Europe in the 2000s along with ultras and hooligan culture with some of the biggest organized groups in Sweden, Switzerland and Finland.[17][18][19][20]
Last season, Seattle fans mocked Portland with a tifo that read 'Pity'.
As cheers exploded, a red-and-black tifo was rolled out—'Legends Never Sleep,' a play on the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movie franchise.