Torcida organizada

Torcidas organizadas are formal (or informal) associations of football fans in Brazil in the same vein as Argentine hinchadas and European ultras. The name is based on the verb torcer, which means "to root for" but also "to wring" and "to turn". The supposition is that the behaviour of the fans present at the stadium could help the team gather strength to beat the opponent.

In the beginning, and until the sixties, torcidas organizadas were informal associations of fans who gathered to buy fireworks, cloth for large flags, and other stuff to be used during celebrations. Later, such associations became permanent and were formalised legally as non-profit recreational associations, still with the primary goal of providing a better spectacle at the stadium and surroundings. Some of the noteworthy torcidas organizadas from this time were Torcida Jovem do Botafogo (Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas), Torcida Jovem do Santos (Santos Futebol Clube), Mancha Verde (Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras), Gaviões da Fiel (Corinthians), Galoucura (Clube Atlético Mineiro), Máfia Azul (Cruzeiro Esporte Clube), Independente (São Paulo Futebol Clube), Torcida Jovem Fla and Raça Rubro-Negra, (Clube de Regatas do Flamengo), Força Jovem Vasco (Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama), Young Flu and Força Flu (Fluminense Football Club), Fúria Independente (Paraná Clube), Imperio Alviverde (Coritiba Foot Ball Club), Os Fanáticos (Clube Atlético Paranaense), Torcida Jovem do Sport (Sport Club do Recife), Fanáutico (Clube Náutico Capibaribe) and Inferno Coral (Santa Cruz Futebol Clube). In the beginning the torcida organizada movement was fragmentary, but would later consolidate in larger bodies or leagues. Some torcidas would open branches throughout the country to support their teams playing away, given the national range of their supporters.

Torcidas organizadas would later become infamous for their association with stadium violence, which would cause Justice to disband some of them (notably Gaviões da Fiel. Mancha Verde and Independente, both the top and most hard-core firms and active on one of the largest capitals in the world: São Paulo). Some clubs (notably Flamengo) would also be plagued by rival torcidas which would battle each other as well as the opponent's.

Rivalry is embebed on Brazilian football culture, but when it comes to their organized (or uniformed) supporters, things can take a turn for the different. Some groups can can relate only with their equals, a common place for "torcidas organizadsa", barras bravas" and "firms" all over the world. However, other teams, active on a wider range on national and internation field, have come to experience historical clashes that created firce rivals, as well as close and loyas allies. The perfect example for this is the union between two of the main organized firms then and today: Torcida Jovem Fla (supporters of Flamengo) and Torcida Independente (supporters of São Paulo). This old union, dated, some say, since the beginning of the 90s, has been theme for songs and ovations whenever these two teams meet or whenever they meet each others rivals. They proudly sing that each one of them is unified with another hard-core group of supporters. With this, it was created two opposite mobs of unified groups. And the rivalry was responsible for distributing this: Palmeira's Mancha Verde, maybe São Paulo's Independente biggets rival, joined with Torcida Jovem (Vasco Supporter's), biggest rival to Flamengo's own Torcida Jovem. And, along with Cruzeiro's Mafia Azul, which joined Indenpendente and Torcida Jovem Fla, and Galoucura, supported by Atletico Mineiro (biggest rival to Cruzeiro) fans joined the opposite aliance. Indenpendentes and Jovem do Flamengo's alliance was known for their own "symbol". To symbolize their own group and alliance, they crossed their arms, calling themselves "punhos cruzados" (crossed fists). In reference and prejudice to this, Mancha Verdes and Jovem do Vasco put heir middle fingers up and called theselves "dedos pro alto" (lifted fingers). Players for both teams, especially from Flamengos and São Paulo, ar known to represent these 'expressions' after scoring a goal in the pitch, driving the hard-core fans crazy with proud.

The Brazil influence stretched into Europe through Torcida Split, a formal associations of Hajduk Split FC fans in the Croatian Dalmatia region. Torcida Split is now the oldest (1950) organized supporters' group in Europe