Phil Foden Takes Inflatable Banana Into Interview as City Fans Boo Anthem

• Manchester City supporters booed the Premier League anthem before kick-off in the club’s first home game after being found guilty of breaching the league’s financial rules.
• Hundreds of inflatable bananas were placed on seats around the Etihad, and Phil Foden took one into his Match of the Day interview after scoring in the win over Ipswich.
• A record Etihad crowd of 60,817 watched City make it seven wins from seven under Enzo Maresca, the first manager in Premier League history to do so in his first seven games.

A Sea of Yellow at the Etihad

Manchester City’s fans turned the Premier League anthem into a protest on Saturday. Tens of thousands inside the Etihad Stadium booed and jeered as it played over the speakers shortly before kick-off, then switched to chanting “City, City, City”. It was the first top-flight home game after City were found guilty of breaching the league’s financial rules.

BBC Sport described the mood as a day of defiance. Supporters arrived to find hundreds of inflatable bananas placed on seats in the home sections for them to wave throughout the game. Some had been visible in the away end at Liverpool the week before, but this was on a different scale and the ground turned into a sea of yellow.

The inflatables are a flashback to the late 1980s, when what began as a light-hearted joke became one of the most memorable fan crazes in English football. Their revival comes as City appeal against the verdict, which relates to breaches of the league’s financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. BBC Sport reports that the case also involves what it calls “sham contracts” to inflate sponsorship deals by £830m.

Gallows Humour in the Stands

The anger did not last. A chant about playing Stockport away followed, and the gallows humour carried on when City fans sang “You’re going down with the City” at Ipswich’s travelling support.

There were surreal scenes at one point, with fans jeering the anthem while waving the inflatables in the air. The crowd of 60,817 was a new record for the Etihad.

Foden Brings the Banana to Match of the Day

Phil Foden scored the opening goal in the 19th minute on his return to the side, after a suspension that followed his red card against Manchester United on 13 September. It was his first goal of 2026.

“You can tell they are behind us and they’re pushing us,” Foden said when asked about the supporters. “It’s nice to play at home and you can hear how loud they are. They’re giving us that extra boost that we need.”

Foden then finished the day by taking an inflatable banana into his Match of the Day interview, after City went six points clear at the top of the table.

Maresca Feels the Defiance

Maresca said he sensed the defiance from the stands even before kick-off. “The environment was very good,” he said, adding that the fans, the club and the players are “all together”.

The Italian is the first manager in Premier League history to win his first seven games in charge. City have not dropped a point this season, winning after falling behind against Bournemouth and after playing for more than an hour with 10 men at Manchester United. “For sure I didn’t expect to win seven out of seven,” Maresca said.

It is City’s best start to a league season in 129 years. Only Chelsea in 2005-06 and Liverpool in 2019-20 have won their first seven Premier League matches, and BBC Sport notes that both went on to win the title.

Maresca was also asked about how his players cope with the events surrounding the club. He said they are “not worried about people who judge from outside”. “Inside, I promise the players are happy,” he said. “They’re getting credit and I give credit to them.”

The Appeal Still Looms

The celebrations sit alongside a legal fight that has not finished. A leading lawyer told BBC Sport that City have a great deal to overcome if they are to have any chance of winning their appeal. For one afternoon at least, the supporters at the Etihad made clear which side of that argument they are on.