ISL: Mohun Bagan Super Giant fans unveil world's largest tifo

Mariners Basecamp, a fan club of the Indian Super League outfit Mohun Bagan Super Giant, unveiled the world's largest tifo during the team's clash against Bengaluru FC on Monday.

Tifo is a large banner - often printed or handwoven - which fans in a sports stadium raise or simultaneously hold up signs which form a large image.

"Our legacy isn't just history but the heart beat of a nation of patriots," the 25,500 square feet tifo unveiled by Mariners Base read.

The fan club spent a total of Rs 7.5 lakh in creating this 340ft*75ft hand painted banner. Dutch club Feyenoord holds the record for the world's largest tifo but it was printed unlike the Mohun Bagan Super Giant banner, which was handwoven. 

The tifo carried the message of barefooted Mohun Bagan's famous 1911 IFA Shield win against East Yorkshire. This win had played a pivotal role in India's freedom struggle, as it instilled a sense of belief among the Indians about their ability to take on the brute force of the British colonial power and earn freedom.

Mariners Basecamp occupied the B3 stand and B2 gallery behind the goal post and unflurred the giant tifo, making it the largest ever tifo possible. They started working on the project on December 27, 2024 and completed it on January 17, 2025.

“We wanted to bring the Tifo culture, an integral part of the beautiful game in Europe, to India," Prasenjit, a Mariners Basecamp executive, said to The Bridge. "We have spent countless hours getting this project done."

The tailors stitching the tifo had to sleep in another room to accommodate the monstrous piece of cloth during the process. The members involved in the creation, spent weeks eating and staying in tents to complete the artwork while working in two shifts.