Football is considered the most popular sport in the world and its large fan base plays a major role in boosting the performance of players across the world, particularly for the home teams, know the meaning of a tifo in the game
This importance of fans to each and every club was further highlighted during the pandemic.
Explained what is the meaning of tifo in football, history and full list of best teams tifos
UNBELIEVABLE TIFO FROM THE BORUSSIA DORTMUND FANS! 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/bHXs3qME8R
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 15, 2023
Dortmund's tifo game is always strong 🤯 pic.twitter.com/uoSFpmfB2U
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 14, 2020
Largest Tifo in South Asia ⚡#manjappada #isl #kbfc #Tifo #southasia #football pic.twitter.com/vvEwE6Mrks
— VÏSHNÜ (@Vishnu006N) December 11, 2022
Owing to the absence of fans in matches during the pandemic, many teams struggled with their home form.
Playing behind closed doors without any atmosphere inside the stadiums proved counter-productive to teams’ performances.
However, now that things are back to normal, many supporters worldwide have been doing more than just attending games and cheering their teams.
Meaning of the term tifo explained
Tifo is a popular term in football and refers to the support that football fans show before kick-off. Tifos are generally choreographed visual displays made by fans, usually happening before the start of big games like a derby or European fixture.
Fans resort to doing such shows to improve the atmosphere inside the stadium as well as strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. The display usually features the home team’s primary kit colors or an image of current or former players. Fans from Germany, France, as well as South American countries are best known for such displays. However, tifos are slowly becoming a common sight in the Premier League as well.
List of all-time best tifos
Given below are three examples for the best tifos of all time:
Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea, 2023
Dortmund are famous for having some of the most passionate group of fans in football. Dortmund fans have often stunned the world on several occasions with their tifo displays. One of their tifos of all time took place ahead of their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Chelsea this season.
The impressive display feature a fan with a backpack on, travelling the globe with a caption:
It was worth every time to stand by your side… The journey will go on forever.”
Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers, 2012
Just Dortmund fans, Sounders fans are also famous for creating a lot of great tifos in the past. Their best ever tifo featured their head coach Sigi Schmid posing as The Godfather playing poker. In the tifo, Sigig was seen holding a royal flush, which would beat the hand of his counterpart. The tifo also featured the phrase:
Tonight we go all in.”
AC Milan vs Barcelona, 2012
AC Milan fans took things to another level when they displayed their tifo for their Champions League quarter-final clash against Barcelona back in 2012.
Before the start of the exciting fixture, The Rossoneri showed a giant Pac-Man tifo. However, that particular game ended in a goalless draw, and Barcelona eventually won the second leg 3-1 at Camp Nou.