A tifo is a type of visual display used to support a home team’s soccer match in their stadium. It can take many forms, including sheets with artwork, colored paper, flags, choreography, singing, and dancing. The people who participate in this ritual are called Tifosi, and it is a common practice in soccer leagues worldwide, including the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Scottish Football, and Major League Soccer.
The name “tifo” is derived from the Italian words “Tifo” and “Tifosi,” which mean “those infected with typhus.” Today, these individuals tend to be part of a supporters group in the stadium for a team. Tifo football is a branch of ultras, who are passionate soccer fans that bring flares into the stadium and sing and dance during the game. The appearance of ultras and tifos in soccer matches can be traced back to Europe in the 1960s, although there are mixed reports.
Tifos are most common during derby matchups between squads, as they tend to have more passion among fans. Creating big artwork usually has a deeper meaning, and more time and energy go into creating it. The artwork may make fun of the opponent, call out a championship victory, or do something to mess with their opponent’s mind before a match.
Tifo artwork takes weeks of planning from supporter groups and the team. Usually, they will work together before the home game match to lay out everything in preparation for the game the next day. Outside of visually colored pieces of paper, giant banners that rise in the air are already in place before the match starts, and they are displayed before kickoff using stadium cables.
Finding a tifo at an English Premier League football game is rare, as English fans take great pride in singing during a match, and some don’t see the need for additional spectacle. Policing at stadiums aims to crack down on any behavior that can become hostile during a match, and stadium officials want to limit any political commentary during a game. Nonetheless, there have been instances where an EPL team had a tifo to start a game, like Crystal Palace’s Saw theme tifo in 2013, or Liverpool’s homage to their team’s history.
In Major League Soccer (MLS), many clubs’ supporter groups use the Tifo before matches, representing rivalries, important games like the MLS Cup, or celebrating events such as Pride Day. There have been many memorable tifos in MLS history, including a gigantic Tifo from Dragon Ball Z by LAFC fans against the Philadelphia Union or NYCFC’s “Kings of New York” Tifo in the bleachers against their Derby match against the New York Red Bulls.
In conclusion, a tifo is a massive artwork displayed before a soccer match. Teams and their supporters work together to create the visual artwork, set it up in the stands, and ensure that it works when they display it. Before kickoff, the artwork is displayed in the stands, either cheering on the home team or poking fun at the other team through their artwork. Along with the artwork, fans sing, dance, wave flags, and more during the tifo presentation.