Manchester City fans boo Premier League anthem and stage Etihad display after financial ruling

Manchester City supporters booed the Premier League anthem and waved inflatable bananas at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in the club’s first home league match since a ruling that it had breached financial rules. BBC Sport reported that the jeering before kick-off was followed by chants supporting City, who went on to beat Ipswich 3-2.

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Hundreds of the inflatables had been placed on seats in the home sections, reviving a supporters’ tradition from the late 1980s. BBC Sport said the attendance of 60,817 was a stadium record. Phil Foden later took one of the bananas into his Match of the Day interview, after scoring on his return from suspension.

The display extended beyond the inflatables. Reporting published by The Irish News described a South Stand banner featuring Frank Gallagher, the fictional character from Shameless, wearing City colours and making a two-finger gesture. The 1894 Group, which organised the display, said it was defending supporters’ freedom to respond to events without outside commentators dictating their behaviour.

According to The Irish News, the group said many supporters questioned the process’s impartiality and did not want to draw conclusions before the appeal. It also criticised the amount of coverage surrounding the hearing. Those were the supporters’ stated objections, rather than findings about the proceedings. City have appealed against the judgment; Saturday’s demonstration did not resolve that challenge.

The group said it would hold a public forum with The Citizens Trust after the appeal result to hear supporters’ views. The Irish News reported that the inflatable bananas had returned at the previous weekend’s victory at Liverpool, initially as a reminder of an earlier era before becoming part of the response to the ruling.

On the pitch, City’s victory made Enzo Maresca the first manager to win his opening seven Premier League matches in charge, BBC Sport reported. Afterwards, Maresca praised the unity between the crowd, players and club. Foden also credited the home support with providing encouragement, as City finished the day six points clear at the top.