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Tifosi (pronounced[tiˈfoːzi;-oːsi]) is agroup of supporters of a sports team, especially those that make up atifo.
The wordTifosi comes fromAncient Greek "typhos" (τῦφος), meaning smoke, as it was customary for spectators of theAncient Olympic Games to celebrate the victories of their favourite athletes by reuniting around abonfire.[1][2][3] ThepluralTifosi is used for a mixed gender or an all-male group; masculine singular istifoso, feminine singulartifosa, feminine pluraltifose.
The word 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.[4]
It has become common to use the word "tifosi" to refer to the supporters ofScuderia Ferrari inFormula One.[5] 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 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.[6] 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.[7]
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.[8] 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.
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".
