Roller-coaster tifo sets new standard

VfL Osnabrück's spectacular roller-coaster tifo against Bayern Munich in German DFB-Pokal Cup Tifo displays have long been a ubiquitous sight in football stadiums around the world. Typically displayed before kick-off at major matches, fan-led displays have become increasingly elaborate as rival supporters look to outdo one another with the scale of their devotion. But German second-tier side VfL Osnabrück have taken things to an entirely new level. Ahead of their German Cup tie against defending champions Bayern Munich, the supporters created a fully functioning roller-coaster in the stands of their 16,100-capacity stadion an der Bremer Brücke. A track was built in sections and had a cart, complete with dummy passengers, which was towed around the track on repeat. To one side of the stand, a separate "photo" banner was displayed after the cart passed a flashing camera, delivering the authentic experience of what the supporters called the "Funpark Bremer Brücke". Accompanied by a sign saying "VfL Osnabrück — a roller-coaster ride!" the not-so-subtle message was that supporting the club, based in Germany's north-western Saxony region, was full of ups and downs. The club has only just been promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga after a five-year stint in the 3. Liga and has a reputation as a club that yo-yos around the leagues. Welcoming Bavarian giants Bayern in the first round of the DFB Pokal was always going to be a tough ask, but the roller-coaster theme continued when the hosts took a shock 1-0 lead thanks to a 30-yard shot by Robin Meißner after just five minutes. The defending champions soon hit back though, Harry Kane scoring twice either side of goals to Tom Bischof and Michael Olise to give the record 21-time winners a path through to the second round. But Bayern, who are not strangers to spectacular tifos of their own at their cavernous Allianz Arena home, will have to up their game if they are to manage something as impressive as this for their next home game, against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League. Germany has been something of a trendsetter when it comes to tifos in recent years, although the practice originated in southern Europe and Italy. Starting out as supporters holding up cards to create a display across a grandstand, Australian fans can think of a tifo as something similar to the fan-made banners AFL teams run through pre-game, only on a much larger scale. Tifo is short for tifosi, the Italian for supporter, and has become known as a way for fans to display their passion or to mock their rivals. In 2017, Western Sydney Wanderers provoked the ire of Football Australia, then known as Football Federation Australia, for displaying a homophobic banner during the Sydney derby. The banner, depicting a blue-faced man giving oral sex, was put up in the Wanderers' support area during the second half of the game. "FFA is aware of the unauthorised and totally unacceptable banner that was displayed in the Western Sydney Wanderers area during Saturday night's Sydney derby at ANZ Stadium," then-A-League chief Greg O'Rourke said. "The discriminatory nature of the tifo has no place in society and will not be tolerated in the A-League." Clubs can play a role in the content of tifos, but often they are ways for fans to make their point about an issue they feel strongly about. Given the increasingly elaborate designs, Arsenal were heavily criticised by their own fans for a bland rectangular tifo ahead of a Champions League match at the Emirates against Paris Saint-Germain in April 2025. PSG are known for their extravagant displays — particularly in the Champions League — so perhaps it was fair for Arsenal to be mocked. However, since then they have upped their game significantly. Still, we're yet to see a roller-coaster of any sort at the Emirates, so there's clearly still room for improvement. [Image text:] VIOLET CREU 2002 WILEMAUS WILDWASSER -BAHN