Dozens of inflatable bananas bobbed above the crowd at Anfield on Sunday as Manchester City’s fans revived a quirky tradition dating back to the late 1980s. The sight returned during City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool, their first match since the Premier League found the club guilty of 114 breaches of financial rules spanning the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons.
The bananas recall a chapter from Manchester City’s past when they oscillated between divisions. The tradition began with former City striker Imre Varadi, who was nicknamed ‘Imre Banana’ by fans during his two-year spell at the club from October 1986 to September 1988. Varadi scored 26 goals in 65 appearances before moving on to Sheffield Wednesday.
“I started it, but it was 40 years ago, and it’s still going strong now, as we all saw at Anfield. I’m really proud of it,” Varadi told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive. He described the return of the inflatable banana craze as “amazing” and said it brought “a lot of fun back into the game.”
The banana tradition began when fans first brought inflatables to games in the old Second Division. It took hold in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with intermittent appearances since. Sunday’s game saw the bananas re-emerge in notable numbers, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the club’s past instability in the league.
Varadi, whose X account is @imre_banana, now sells inflatable bananas through the club. He recounted how the tradition grew from a handful of bananas in the crowd to a widespread phenomenon. “Somebody started to call me Imre Banana and then, the following game, there were 10, 20, 25 bananas and then it just grew and grew and grew until every football club had an inflatable.”
The resurgence of the bananas came amid Premier League sanctions that could include points deductions or expulsion. City’s fans used the inflatable bananas to recall the yo-yo years when the club’s fortunes fluctuated sharply.
Sunday’s match was City’s first since the Premier League announced the 114 charges against the club. The ruling covers financial misconduct over nearly a decade and has cast a shadow over the current campaign. Despite this, City secured a commanding win at Anfield against Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champions.
Varadi said the game itself was “terrific” but that the return of the inflatable bananas added a levity that was missing from much of the recent coverage. The bananas, he said, brought “a lot of joy to the game. It’s great to see.”
The inflatable bananas at Anfield revived a tradition that links Manchester City’s turbulent past with its current challenges. The fans’ choice to bring them back amid sanctions marks a moment in the club’s history where nostalgia and adversity meet on the pitch.
According to Joy Online.
