Manchester City fans continue anthem boos amid Premier League dispute
Manchester City supporters have made booing the Premier League and Champions League anthems a fixture at the Etihad, with the jeers louder at the first home game since the club was found guilty of breaching financial rules.
Boos greeting the Premier League and Champions League anthems have become a regular feature at the Etihad Stadium, the BBC reports. The jeers were louder than usual against Ipswich last Saturday, the club's first home game since Manchester City were found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. Season-ticket holder Dave Wilson said he could not recall a Premier League or Champions League home game where the anthems were not booed.
The pre-match discontent towards top-flight officials can likely be traced to February 2023, when the 115 charges were first announced. Later that year, Everton were deducted 10 points, reduced to six on appeal, for breaking profit and sustainability rules. In their first game back, Everton fans booed the league anthem and held up red cards bearing the word 'corrupt' under the Premier League logo. City supporters staged no similar display, but Wilson said the booing was heightened on Saturday because it was the first home match since the guilty verdict.
There was audible booing before Tuesday's Champions League game against AEK Athens as well. City fans' displeasure with Uefa stretches back further, through a series of disputes. In 2014 Uefa fined City £49m and capped their Champions League squad size after they failed Financial Fair Play rules. Six years later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year ban from European competitions, clearing the club of disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions. Wilson said many City fans feel targeted, "rightly or wrongly".
Nick Clarke, interim chair of the Manchester City supporters' union The Citizens Trust, said Saturday's booing was "totally organic", unlike a fan-led initiative at Liverpool. He said that although some fans are conflicted about the club's situation, most feel the Premier League is not fit to regulate itself, while supporters remain behind the team. City top the table with seven wins from seven and face Aston Villa away on Saturday. The club is awaiting the outcome of its appeal and any potential sanctions.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
