Why do Man City fans have inflatable bananas in the stands?

SINCE the news of their guilty verdict, Manchester City fans have brought back the inflatable bananas into the crowd. During the international break, the Mancunian side were found guilty of breaking the Premier League’s financial rules and falsely inflating sponsorship deals by £900million. They have appealed the decision and will fight to prove their innocence, with the club saying they have “irrefutable evidence” which will overturn the verdict. If they fail in doing so, they could face a punishment as severe as relegation from the Premier League. Despite this, their fans remain confident in their club and have brought back an old tradition in a show of support. SunSport has all the details on why the City fans bring the bananas into the stands. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Why do Man City fans have inflatable bananas? Inflatable bananas have been a City symbol since 1987/88, following relegation to the second tier that season. The exact reason has been disputed, but many claim it is due to former striker Imre Varadi. Supporters nicknamed him “Imre Banana” and a chant naming him just that took off. It led to one fan bringing an inflatable banana to the ground and it bizarrely led to a trend throughout 80s and 90s at City games. Most read in Sport Dante Friend, who dished out bananas to fans before facing Liverpool last weekend, explained: “It was just one guy at the game who referred to him as “Imre Banana”. “A guy called Frank Newton took an inflatable banana to the next game, and then everyone started doing it. At a time of hooliganism taking over football, it added some light-hearted fun to a hostile atmosphere. Friend explained: “They weren’t interested in fighting. “Most of the fans were having a laugh. “We were s***, we were in Division Two. “I think, every now and then, when it’s fan-led and not club-led, [bringing back the bananas] can be really good. It’ll be a laugh.”