Man City fan group issues clarification over controversial banner – ‘Not aimed at Vinicius’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid gained a huge advantage in their knockout playoff tie in the UEFA Champions League, as they secured a 3-2 win over Manchester City at the Etihad.

With stakes running high, the most controversial moment of the game saw a Manchester City fan group unfurling a questionable banner that appeared to target Vinicius Junior.

The banner had the image of Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or trophy and a caption reading, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out”.

This was a direct referenece to the 2024 Ballon d’Or Gala, which was not attended by a single Real Madrid representative after they learnt that Vinicius Junior was snubbed.

Man City fan group issues clarification

However, a day after the game, We Are 1984, the fan group responsible for the banner, has issued a clarification.

Through X, the fan group clarified that the banner was not aimed at Vinicius Junior but rather Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

“Nobody in the media actually realised that the person the banner targeted was not even on the pitch? Florentino Perez. It’s him who instigated a slur campaign against Rodri & boycott of the ceremony by his clubs’ players. Point needed making whatever the result of the game,” the tweet read.

Through this statement, the fan group implied that they were targeting Perez, who they believed had played a key role in spiking up the whole debate about who was the rightful winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Nevertheless, the banner did not do much to de-motivate Vinicius, who ended the game as the Most Valuable Player, having notably assisted Jude Bellingham’s late winner.

Vinicius later said that the banner only motivated him to perform even better and eventually finish the game as one of the top performers.

It will now be interesting to see whether or not Real Madrid fans have any answer to this banner, when these two teams face each other again at Santiago Bernabeu next week.