12,000 Man City fans brought inflatable bananas to Stoke and the response was brilliant

Manchester City have distributed blow-up fruit to supporters in solidarity after being found guilty of breaching financial rules, evoking memories of late 1980s terrace culture. In December 1988, more than 12,000 Manchester City supporters traveled to Stoke City armed with inflatable bananas. Despite Nigel Gleghorn scoring early for the visitors, Stoke won 3-1 courtesy of two goals from Chris Kamara and a George Berry penalty.

The spectacle inspired Stoke City souvenir shop manager Paul Gerkin to introduce inflatable Pink Panthers, sparking massive local demand with thousands sold. The trend quickly swept English football, prompting supporters across multiple clubs to adopt their own novelty inflatables, including penguins at Port Vale and sharks at Hull City.