- published: 23 Aug 2015
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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 1960s, 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), Torcida Independente and Dragões da Real, (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.
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