Tifoso
The Italian term Tifoso means a fan or supporter of something. The plural tifosi is often used as a synonym for Italian fans at a sporting event.
Origin of the term
The word Tifoso goes back to the infectious disease typhus (Italian: tifo), which if left untreated leads to a high fever, just as the Tifoso as a football fan “suffers from football fever ”. Originally the term had a negative meaning. This expression originated in Benito Mussolini's fascist Italy at the beginning of the 20th century . The Duce had a penchant for mass events. Although he personally preferred equestrianism, he knew how to use the power of football wisely. He hoped to transfer the enthusiasm for football of the masses to his movement by promoting martial arts and showing presence in the stadiums.
The French sports scientist Lanfranchi describes the football disease ironically as follows: "The pathology of the Tifoso has the symptoms of a temporary loss of self-control, an infectious passion that the patient is unable to fight."
