Archive April 30, 2025

The Emirates’ atmosphere was hailed as among the best in the stadium’s history for Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final at home to Real Madrid, so there were high expectations for Tuesday’s semi-final against Paris St-Germain.

A fourth-minute goal for the away side punctured that, but Arsenal’s tifo display also fell flat.

On social media, rival fans mocked the giant red flag with a white cannon, while some Gunners supporters also expressed their disappointment at what was unveiled.

It was the club’s first Champions League semi-final appearance since 2009, so fans wanted something befitting the occasion.

Manager Mikel Arteta described the game as “one of the biggest in 19 years” in his pre-match news conference.

Arsenal fan group Ashburton Army raised more than £12,000 and offered to pay for their own personalised tifo with many different designs suggested to the club.

On 24 April, they posted an update saying: “As the tifo has been rejected by the club, we will refund people for it.”

BBC Sport has been told that Arsenal were unable to accept the proposal because of the short timeframe between games.

What they used was a simple large red flag featuring the club’s cannon emblem in white as the centrepiece.

This hung from the roof of the North Bank Stand, while another smaller banner was held by fans in the East Stand with the words “make it happen” printed across it – a pre-match message that Arteta had given to his players.

Those two displays were added to by fireworks and pyrotechnics, but they were far from anything out of the ordinary.

One fan posted on X: “I expected a very beautiful tifo from Arsenal only to discover this? It looks like Fifa career mode.”

Another claimed: “I think this may be the most commonly agreed worst tifo of all time given the circumstances.”

While a third said: “Arsenal turned down the fans’ tifo design request to produce this monstrosity. Champions League semi-final and this was the best they could come up with? So disappointed.”

According to former England striker Wayne Rooney, working as a TV pundit, the atmosphere at the Emirates on Tuesday was in contrast to the Real Madrid game.

Before that match, supporters in each block of the stadium held up red and white cards above their heads.

“For Arsenal, I was a bit disappointed with how they played, disappointed with the fans as well,” Rooney told Amazon Prime.

Arsenal fan writer Laura Kirk: “One of the fan groups Ashburton Army had raised some money for a tifo which was ultimately rejected by the club, I imagine because the designs were not in keeping with the club’s brand but the club haven’t actually said anything.

“In comparison with what we see elsewhere in Europe, like the one Real Madrid had against us last week, it just felt like a massively missed opportunity to do something amazing.”

Oli Price-Bates from The Fresh Arsenal Podcast: “The tifo from the club was certainly a bit underwhelming. The occasion deserved more from the club to help with the atmosphere and fan engagement.

“Certainly if Arsenal get to this stage again, they need to be better prepared and involve the fans in the process, not just in tifos but the wider experience and build-up for the match.

“Hopefully we won’t wait so long for another semi-final and the club will be better prepared to make more impact.”

Broadcaster and Arsenal fan Harry Symeou: “I think the fans were hoping to see something with a bit more of a wow factor. Given there was lots of talk online with regards to some more elaborate, striking designs – you can understand why some felt underwhelmed.

On the whole? Probably.

And it’s certainly not just Arsenal who have fallen short in the department.

West Ham United tried their hand at one against the Gunners during this season’s Premier League fixture at the London Stadium. It was a simple display of their logo in the middle of the date they were founded – unfortunately for them though, the date looked like it read 1695 rather than 1895.

Away from the gaffes though, English clubs have shown in recent times that it can be done when executed correctly.

Aston Villa had impressive displays at Villa Park during their Champions League campaign, while Crystal Palace are certainly on the path of a team that get it “right” when it comes to tifos.

The two even had their own battle pre-match in the stands before their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

Villa unveiled three lions at their end before Palace displayed an impressive red and blue wall with an image of a child in front of an FA Cup lofted above the words “take my hand, take my whole life too.”

Do below par tifos have anything to do with the lack of ‘ultra’ culture in the Premier League?

Well, according to Jeffrey Kassing, Professor of the School of Social & Behavioural Sciences at Arizona State University and author of the book ‘The Art of Tifo,’ the emphatic answer to that is ‘yes’.

“The tifo tradition is closely linked to the ultras form of fandom, as stadium performances are central to that identity,” Kassing told BBC Sport.

“Geographically speaking, the ultras form of fandom took root more actively in southern and eastern Europe, whereas the hooligan form of fandom dominated in northern Europe, England included.

“In places where hooliganism prevailed violence and hyper-masculinity were the means for enacting or performing identity.

“Contrastingly, for ultras, stadium performances comprised of tifos, chanting, singing, and musical accompaniment, where allowed, predominate how they present fandom.

Tottenham’s squad, according to James Maddison, is “100%” behind manager Ange Postecoglou and still capable of “something very special” during the offseason.

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table despite a disappointing domestic campaign, and Postecoglou is in the spotlight due to their divisive fortunes in Europe.

In the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, the North London club will face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, who haven’t won a trophy in 17 years.

Attacking midfielder Maddison, 28, acknowledges the club’s disappointing season but says the manager’s portrayal is “not healthy.”

“We are completely in the manager’s shoes,” Maddison said. He is a great man, I believe. Particularly in the league, we had a bad season. Although our performance in Europe has been excellent, the league season has not been.

He’s my manager, my friend, and I have a lot of respect for him. We players are attempting to avoid the narrative that Postecoglou’s job is in danger because it’s unhealthy.

“I just know that I come to work every day and see the young people listening and acting on his orders to play for this club, doing the best for this team, and ensuring that his management of our team can continue to have a memorable season in Europe.”

“I’ll keep doing that up until the day he’s not here.”

Son Heung-min, who is out with a foot injury, will miss Bodo/Glimt, but Maddison says the team will “freak the challenge of reaching a European final since they were beaten by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League showpiece.”

The England midfielder continued, “It’s enormous.”

There aren’t many times a player has reached the semi-finals of a professional basketball game when you reach the end of your career and look back. If you’re lucky, you might only see it once or twice.

“We must use that,” he said. We will use the huge competition in Europe to create a great tie on Thursday and in Bodo as well.

We have a truly unique opportunity, they say. Form and having a bad season have obviously been the subject of much discussion, but we have the chance to do something very special.

In the final round, Bodo/Glimt defeated Lazio on penalties, and Postecoglou has dismissed his team’s status as favorites.

The Australian manager said, “Bodo are there on merit.”

They are there because of their excellent football team. No matter where you are from, it’s irrelevant. I don’t underestimate anyone because I’m from another country where football is the fourth sport.

It makes no difference if you say the club is small or the club is big. They have the right to play in the semi-finals of a European competition between us and two other clubs.

“We will treat them with the respect they deserve,” they said. “They have done very well there.” Make sure we enter that place and give it our best performance at the same time.

The 59-year-old also claims that some people are “diminished” Tottenham’s popularity in Europe given the club’s current situation.

He continued, “I am really strong right now on the parallel worlds we are trying to cross, which is not surprising because of how people perceive this club, in some ways, are trying to devalue it.”

No, I’ve seen some claim that it is the equivalent of Manchester United winning the FA Cup. It is not equivalent to anything on any planet. That suggests that the Champions League may not be our best effort.

“There are things in place to lessen what lies ahead of us, which is an incredible opportunity,” he said. Generations of fans want this more than anything else, regardless of how this season has turned out, to celebrate their favorite team’s success by supporting their favorite team.