NRC encore: As language pot stirs, politics re-enters football field
Times of India | 8 August 2025
Kolkata: Blurring the lines between sport, fandom, and socio-political consciousness, football fans in Kolkata have increasingly turned stadiums into spaces of protest, using giant tifos as powerful visual statements voicing political and social anguish. Over the years, these choreographed, handmade, and crowd-funded fan displays — traditionally used to show support for teams — have become instruments of dissent.
On Wednesday, during a Durand Cup match against Namdhari FC at Salt Lake stadium, East Bengal fans unveiled a striking tifo: "Bharat Swadhin Korte Sedin Porechhilam Phansi, Maa er Bhasha Bolchi Bole, Ajke Bangladeshi (I was hanged that day to free India! Am I a Bangladeshi today because I speak my mother tongue?)"The banner condemned the recent row of labelling Bengali-speaking people as "Bangladeshi", a sentiment that many in the state say undermines the cultural contributions and sacrifices of Bengalis in the freedom struggle and Indian nation-building. The tifo was crowd-funded and hand-painted by the East Bengal Ultras, a group known not just for fan fervour but also for activism. "Our hearts are wounded," said an admin of East Bengal Ultras. "Calling Bengali a foreign language is an insult to the legacy of Tagore, Bose, and countless others. We won't stay silent. This is our way of fighting back.
"
This is not the first time political messages have found space on the football field in Kolkata. In 2020, several fan groups used matches to voice opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Tifos at the time carried messages calling for unity, secularism, and adherence to constitutional values. Last year, fan-created banners demanding justice after the rape and murder of a postgraduate doctor at RG Kar Medical College highlighted growing concerns about women's safety.
Following the growing voice of dissent, the Bidhannagar City Police issued a notification last year, restricting the use of tifos during the semi-final match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bengaluru FC. However, the Calcutta High Court turned down the notification, allowing spectators to use tifos.
Sociologists opine it's a rather new phenomenon in India where people are choosing football stadiums as a safe space to express dissent since public protests are monitored.
"People are looking for new mediums to voice their dissent. Tifos carry the weight of the collective, the anonymity of the crowd, and the legitimacy of fandom. Those willing to send a message through tifos know there will be public gathering and media glare and that their message will spread, which will help create an opinion," said sociologist Prasanta Roy.
Globally, tifos have long served as tools of protest. During the Arab Spring, Ultras Ahlawy, the hardcore fan group of Egypt's Al Ahly football club, played a prominent role in mobilising protests against the regime. In Europe, German fans have opposed the commercialisation of the game, while Polish ultras have used tifos to address historical memory, such as the Warsaw Uprising.
In 2019, FC St Pauli fans in Germany unfurled a massive tifo condemning racism and xenophobia in the wake of far-right political gains. In Italy, fan groups have protested against corruption in football and even state policy through coordinated tifo displays.
The term "tifo" is rooted in the Italian word "tifosi", referring to passionate sports fans. Post-World War II, the term was linked to typhus — suggesting that the feverish excitement of fans mirrored the delirium of illness. Today, tifos are massive visual statements that cover entire galleries, sometimes spanning dozens of metres. They are either 2D, which are flat banners, or 3D, that use rods and pulleys, often backed by pyro shows or choreographed movements.
In India, creating such large tifos is particularly challenging due to stadium structures. "Salt Lake is among the world's largest stadiums," said a member of East Bengal Ultras. "You need weeks of planning and coordination to create something that spans even one gallery.
"But fans have mixed reactions. "I go to matches to watch football, not politics," said Abir Chakraborty, a Mohun Bagan supporter and a resident of Behala. "But I respect the right of fans to express themselves, especially when the issue is about identity and language.
"
Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays, public holidays, and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.