Champions League tifos: Man United welcomed to 'Hell' and more

Champions League tifos: Man United welcomed to ‘Hell’ and more،

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerDecember 11, 2023, 10:00 a.m.

As the group stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League conclude this week, it's a good opportunity to thank all the supporters who help make these big European nights so special.

Home supporters of many clubs across the continent have made it a great pre-match tradition of whipping up the atmosphere inside the stadium with a variety of huge visual displays involving large banners, choreographed actions or pyrotechnics – known as “tifos” – before kick-off. Somehow, poor Manchester United have been the target of some of the best we've seen so far.

A few clubs have even made it their mission to put on an extravaganza before each match, with Denmark's FC Copenhagen lighting up the Champions League group stage with a series of impressive displays.

Fans of Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan even staged their own banner battle, with one club responding directly to the other via tifos – which must surely be a first in a UEFA competition.

Here's a look at some of the best performances that took place in the group stages of European competitions this season.

Let's just hope that the ultras – groups of some of the most passionate and committed supporters – of Europe's elite clubs will use the winter break to come up with more dramatic ideas for the start of the knockout stages in the spring.

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Copenhagen is the king of tifo in Europe

FC Copenhagen have established themselves as the unlikely leaders of the tifo scene during their Champions League campaign, with Danish fans putting on a selection of impressively choreographed performances ahead of their home matches.

Copenhagen vs Rakow Czestochowa: Champions League qualifiers (August 30)

Copenhagen kicked things off with a simple but undeniably effective performance against Polish opponent Rakow Czestochowa. Before the match, fans held their jerseys aloft in unison to create a huge monolithic white wall at Parken Stadium.

Copenhagen vs. Bayern Munich: Champions League (October 3)

Copenhagen entered the group stage strongly with a full-fledged tifo deployed for their first home match against Bayern Munich. The large display, wide of the stand, featured a roaring lion with glowing red eyes and burning nostrils, with Bayern representatives depicted fleeing in terror.

Copenhagen v Manchester United: Champions League (November 8)

The next visitors were Manchester United who, in a play on their own home nickname, Old Trafford, were hosted at the 'Theater of Nightmares'. The tifo showed United's Red Devil mascot dreaming of defeat in Denmark as fearsome pyrotechnics were unleashed above. Sure enough, the Premier League giants suffered a shock 4-3 defeat.

Ultraculture

Tifos are designed and created by the most fervent elements of a club's supporters. It is therefore not surprising that they are often used to celebrate their own contribution to their team or to intimidate visiting fans as well as the opposition on the pitch.

Lens vs PSV Eindhoven: Champions League (October 24)

The Lensois ultras paid tribute to each other by creating a giant scarf (with hands holding it) which stretched across the entire width of a stand at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Paris Saint-Germain vs AC Milan: Champions League (October 25)

The PSG ultras unveiled a giant tifo in front of the traveling Milan contingent, which featured an image of French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo in his iconic role as a secret agent in “the professional“, aiming at a giant red and black devil standing at the far end of the stadium.

AC Milan vs Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League (November 7)

Milan then responded a fortnight later in the second leg at San Siro by erecting a massive effigy of Neo from the Matrix franchise stopping Belmondo's bullets in mid-air.

Marseille vs AEK Athens: Europa League (October 26)

An unusual sense of camaraderie reigned at the Stade Vélodrome as die-hard Marseille fans extended a hand of friendship to their Greek counterparts via a tifo which showed the two groups of ultras linking up in a friendly embrace.

AC Milan vs. Borussia Dortmund: Champions League (November 28)

The ultras posted on the Milan field South curve They formally introduced themselves to their German guests when Dortmund arrived at San Siro at the end of November.

Galatasaray vs Manchester United: Champions League (November 29)

With Manchester United in town, Galatasaray revisited a classic by decorating the Ali Sami Yen Stadium with a huge lion, the European Cup and the infamous motto “Welcome to Hell”, a reference to a sign held up in the tune by the crowd when United played at the Gala. on the same ground in 1993, in an extremely hostile atmosphere. On this occasion, the Turkish club earned a 0-0 draw to eliminate United from Europe. This time they came from behind twice to seal a 3-3 draw which could well help United suffer the same fate.

Toulouse vs Union St.-Gilloise: Europa League (November 30)

Pyro hour was inaugurated at the Stade de Toulouse by the ultras' skeletal cheerleader, who first ordered purple flags to be waved before signaling the start of a mass flare along the terraces .

HJK Helsinki vs. Aberdeen: Europa Conference League (November 30)

The brave souls who support HJK braved the subzero temperatures in Helsinki to unfurl a huge tifo representing a selection of their club legends, all roaring around the current team with a megaphone.

Aberdeen's traveling supporters, however, made their presence felt. The match was briefly stopped early in the second half as they threw snowballs onto the pitch, and soon after the Dons scored the equalizer to seal a 2–2 draw.

HJK Helsinki-Aberdeen briefly stopped as some Aberdeen fans behind the goal threw snowballs at the HJK goalkeeper.

The man above the tannoy says it might be abandoned if this continues! pic.twitter.com/obwqBZ23vd

– Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) November 30, 2023

Fan demonstrations

Some fans have used the big stage to air their grievances and stage protests against the powers that be, rival players and even their own clubs.

Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle United: Champions League (November 7)

Dortmund led the charge in protesting UEFA and the continued commercialization of the game by throwing fake banknotes and bags of gold onto the pitch before their group match against Newcastle.

AC Milan vs Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League (November 7)

Milan fans followed a similar theme and had thousands of fake banknotes printed depicting Gianluigi Donnarumma's face, insinuating that financial interest might have something to do with their former goalkeeper's decision to sign for PSG in summer 2021.

Bayern Munich vs Galatasaray: Champions League (November 8)

Bayern ultras have voiced their disagreement with their own club's hierarchy by deploying a large replica of a classic red shirt to protest this season's controversial White House jersey. The accompanying message read: “the colors of the club are sacred”. There was also a large banner criticizing UEFA, but the language used was NSFW.

Keep class

Not all fans decided to indulge in the teasing, goading and bullying during the group stage. Indeed, some chose to keep it above the belt when it came to their tifos.

Feyenoord v Celtic: Champions League (September 19)

Feyenoord recognized the special role Celtic played in one of their greatest nights: the 1970 European Cup final. The Dutch club won 2-1 at Milan, but their fans celebrated before the The match left a strong impression on Celtic supporters, one of whom later said: “They were so colorful… it was the best support I've ever seen.”

AC Milan vs Newcastle United: Champions League (September 19)

Milan used all four teams and almost every one of the 75,000 seats at San Siro to create a rousing welcome for their team ahead of the group match against Newcastle – the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.

Newcastle United vs Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League (October 4)

Having taken a liking to the tifos in Milan, Newcastle put on their show on the occasion of the arrival of PSG, 2020 finalist, at St James' Park. A large banner depicting a magpie wearing a top hat was unfurled for the occasion, with the bird proudly displaying Newcastle's name during the Champions League draw.

Young Boys vs Manchester City: Champions League (October 25)

As winter approached, temperatures dropped and snow showers began to cross the Swiss night sky, Young Boys Bern asked their players to warm up as part of the pre-match tifo.

Newcastle United v Borussia Dortmund: Champions League (October 25)

Newcastle pulled out all the stops ahead of their second group match against Dortmund when the entire stadium was decorated in black and white. A giant salute of “Howay the Lads” also appeared in Leazes End.

Toulouse vs Liverpool: Europa League (November 9)

Toulouse fans have paid a salutary tribute to beloved French comedy character Jean-Claude Dusse, who once said: “Forget that you have no chance and go for it!” The Violets then secured a shock 3-2 victory over Liverpool, who had beaten them 5-1 at Anfield two weeks previously.

😅 “On a misunderstanding… it can work!”

🟣👏 And that did it for Toulouse, author of a major feat against Liverpool (3-2). Bravo to the Toulouse supporters, geniuses. pic.twitter.com/5GolvQ71tW

– RMC Sport (@RMCsport) November 9, 2023

Stade Rennais vs Panathinaikos: Europa League (November 9)

Having reached the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League over the past six seasons, Rennes supporters announced their ongoing European adventures with a tifo including a large map of the continent and an image of supporters holding their passports.