Pío pío

In the early 1980s, Fernando ‘El Bandera’, one of the great cheerleaders at Unión Deportiva Las Palmas matches, began chanting ‘pío pío’, one of the fans’ battle cries. By the 1990s, it had become widespread, not only in football but also at other sporting events, carnival celebrations and music festivals…

In the stands, the “pío pío” is heard alongside the “riqui raca”, “arriba d’ellos” and the lyrics of the anthem composed in 2009 by singer-songwriter Luis Quitana: “I’m from Las Palmas, Las Palmas is a feeling that comes from deep within, from the heart”.