Manchester City fans bring back banana craze at Etihad ahead of Ipswich match

Bananas have returned to Manchester City matches, and supporters say the fruit is about humour and togetherness rather than anything more serious. A matchday vlog from Ian Cheeseman of Forever Blue, filmed outside the Etihad before City hosted Ipswich in the Premier League, shows fans explaining the revival. The video is titled "Man City 3-2 Ipswich", but the footage used here covers only the build-up, so this report does not describe how the game unfolded.

Cheeseman says the banana tradition goes back decades. He credits a supporter named Frank Newton with taking a banana to a game and dressing it up in 1987, a story that fed into a nickname for former City player Imre. He also recalls a match at Stoke City years ago where the ground was filled with the fruit. The bananas reappeared in force at Liverpool the previous week, he says, and fans were buying inflatable versions on matchday.

One supporter who regularly wears a banana costume to games said the trend "typifies" City's fanbase, which does not take itself too seriously. He described it as a way of poking fun at the 115 charges levelled at the club, and said he enjoyed seeing fans in the Anfield stands wearing judges' wigs as well as banana outfits. His shirt, he said, carried banana-themed titles from recent seasons, including "Captain Banana" the year before.

He said his daughter, who got into football seven or eight years ago, made him a City fan. He praised the club's football and the humour of its songs, and said he had driven five hours to attend.

On the match itself, he warned against complacency. City were unbeaten in the league and top of the table, he said, so opponents would see every game as a cup final. He expected a win but not an easy one, citing the team's "togetherness" and fighting spirit after a tough week of fixtures.