It recalls a dark past: Manchester City fans suddenly bring out inflatable bananas against Liverpool
During the win against Liverpool, some Manchester City fans suddenly held inflatable bananas aloft. What looks at first glance like a crude joke actually has a deeper meaning.
During a dark period in Manchester City's history, Sky Blues supporters began bringing bananas to matches. According to The Mirror, Frank Newton is said to have first brought an imitation banana into the stands for a home match against Plymouth Argyle at the former Maine Road stadium in the 1987/88 season, when Manchester City had just been relegated from the English top flight to the second division.
The banana was a tribute to Imre Varadi, the club icon of the time, who scored 31 goals in 81 appearances for Manchester City. A fan had once dubbed him "Imre Banana". With the team in decline, City supporters turned to gallows humour to distract themselves from the dreary fare on the pitch. They chanted for the striker, and the bananas caught on. On Boxing Day that year, 10,000 fans are said to have travelled to an away match at Stoke City carrying all manner of bananas.
Elsewhere in English football, things were bleak too. Stadiums were crumbling and fan violence was rife. Hooliganism became so widespread that clubs were temporarily banned from European competitions. The ban followed the Heysel disaster in 1985, when 39 people died as a result of fan violence at the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus Turin. Another account says the banana first appeared at a Manchester City match to lift the mood.
Bananas in Liverpool: why Manchester City are turning to gallows humour again
Since the 1980s, Citizens fans have brought out the fruit repeatedly for special occasions. They did so again during what proved to be an emphatic 3-0 win in Liverpool. After the long international break, the match gave fans their first chance to react to the verdict in the financial scandal. A few days earlier, Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 of 115 charges of breaching the league's financial regulations. They face draconian penalties, potentially including the loss of numerous titles and forced relegation. The oversized bananas offered a little distraction.
Liverpool supporters greeted Erling Haaland and his team-mates with a deafening chorus of boos as Manchester's star-studded side took to the pitch. Several banners referred to the club's many breaches. Outside the stadium, both sets of fans traded offensive gestures and insults in a heated confrontation. As the team bus arrived, Liverpool supporters chanted: "You cheating b*stards – you know exactly what you are."
Machester City have appealed: when will the decision come?
Having long since appealed against the independent commission's verdict, Manchester City now face a wait. Given the circumstances, few expect a quick decision on the club's punishment.
Despite the serious allegations, Manchester City supporters continue to stand by their club. High-profile fan and Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, for example, told The Athletic that the prospect of dropping into the second division would not particularly bother him. "Go ahead. I've been through deeper declines with this club than you can imagine. (...) If this club has to play a thousand matches behind closed doors in Uganda, I'm in."
