Magdi El Saidi - Tunisia


Sabri, one of the leaders of the Liders group of the Club Africain Club, is standing in the security room of a police station in Tunis to investigate against the background of the group's sign during the Tunisian Cup final.

The 30-year-old man does not seem to be intimidated by the content of the banner, which topped the podium of Tunisian President Béji Caid al-Sibsi and carried the words, "We beseech you rulers, besieging Qatar and Israel in peace."

Sabri is back in memory of the 2017 Cup final, which was the reason for his lengthy judicial investigation and suspension for two days, while the banner received great popularity in the media and communication platforms.


Sabri Al-Atwani spoke to Al-Jazeera Net about the sign that shook the political and political circles in Tunisia at the time. "Football is a way of expressing concerns beyond sport to current issues in many areas. Qatar, issues that concern a large number of people. "

The stadiums in Tunisia turned into an appropriate space for young people to highlight their artistic creations and innovations in presenting the best performances on the stands and expressing their positions on national, social and religious issues.

Tunisia's fan groups have been preparing Tifu Terraces, which has evolved over the years from simply decorating the stands with colors and giant images of the players to a work of art with a variety of themes.


The creators of the "typho" and the leaders of Al-Atlas themselves are threatened with security and judicial pursuits because some of the paintings contain letters criticizing the authorities or demanding the release of fans arrested in connection with the riots in the stadiums, according to Marwan, a member of the Tunisian Altras group.

Marwan, 30, retains his full name and refuses to take pictures of him. "The laws of Al-Atlas refuse us to publish our images, our positions are expressed through the Tifu signs we fund ourselves and we do not receive external funds to prepare them. "He said.

"The hostility that characterizes our relationship with security is caused by our constant pursuit and prevented us from expressing our concerns. I condemn all forms of violence in the stadiums, but I call on the authorities not to suppress our freedom of expression and to raise expressive and artistic banners in which we have exerted our efforts and money."

Espérance fans lifted a number of paintings during their crucial matches, the last of which was the African Champions League final against Al-Ahli on 9 November, in which the blood and gold team crowned the title.


The TIVO team won a number of Tunisian clubs in the first rankings of specialized sites. In 2017, Tifou was chosen as the "Liders" of the African Club "Identity: An Islamic Society" among the best performances in the world.

Omar Sfaxien, one of the group's members, says that the painting that topped the "turf" shows that Africa was the first Islamic association in Tunisia in the context of the debate over the historical circumstances of the country's sports clubs.

"The tiffo paintings sometimes reflect the history of the club and the religious and social concerns that are at the very heart of daily life. We expressed our support for the Palestinian cause through Tifu Hanadala," added Omar, 28, a Palestinian child. Issues ".

The African fan has already sold his shoes to contribute to the preparation of the game "Tifu" one of the games, saying in this regard, "All we have in the group, and our loyalty to our club is priceless, even if it cost us to waste in our luggage."

Tefou costs between 12 and 35 thousand dinars (between 4 and 13 thousand dollars). However, all funds are self-employed and members of the same group and the incomes of members and the sale of products with the group's logo, such as shirts, hats and antiques, according to Nizar al-Barakati, a member of the LIDS.

"The results on the field are the last concerns of our group, which through these creative paintings express their attachment to the team regardless of its position and results, which we did in one of the matches in Tifu," said Nizar, "as a kind of permanent loyalty."