Author: rb809rb

Football fans are used to seeing a sea of blue shirts in the stand when Manchester City are playing – but on Sunday (11 October), there was a wave of yellow instead.

That’s because supporters have headed to Anfield with inflatable bananas in what seems to be a show of defiance, as it’s the club’s first game since it was found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges relating to financial fair play rules.

And it turns out there is an interesting reason why Cityzens have opted to arm themselves with this unusual prop.

Enzo Maresca’s squad are back on the pitch today for the first time since the news broke that the Premier League had found the club guilty of dozens of charges.

City, who has launched an appeal against the decision and vehemently deny any wrongdoing, could face a number of brutal punishments.

Maresca addressed the scandal for the first time on Friday (9 October) ahead of the team’s clash against Liverpool, saying he has ‘complete trust’ in the club.

“Personally, I’m very calm to be honest,” the 46-year-old said. “The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club.

“We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side.”

Outside Anfield, there was tons of merch on sale referencing the more than 100 charges, which City fans have no doubt been bracing for.

In what seems to be a bid to counteract this, hundreds of Blues have turned up to the stadium with inflatable bananas, and a lot of people don’t know why.

Taking to social media, one person wrote: “Why are the Man City fans holding giant bananas?”

Another teased: “Bananas are backkkkk!”

A third commented: “City fans such tourists. You can see to them its all about a fun day out, no real passion. They’re all having a laugh with those bananas.”

A fourth added: “My love for this club is pure. Man City fans bringing bananas to Anfield.”

And a fifth chimed in saying: “City fans be like, ‘We know we cheated but we’re gonna come to Anfield and wave bananas around’.”

Why are City fans armed with inflatable bananas?

It is believed that City supporters are referencing the nickname that supporters previously gave to legendary striker Imre Varadi, back in 1987.

They dubbed the player, now 67, ‘Imre Banana’ in a chant.

According to City’s website, this marked the ‘start of an inflatable craze that put a much needed smile back on the face of football in England‘.

“All this was seemingly down to a few City fans interpretation of Varadi’s name – at least as legend has it – and, years later, he admitted it was something he was extremely proud to have been connected to,” it explains.

Varadi took the nickname in his stride and later launched his own business, Imre Banana, which produces inflatable bananas that sport his name. You can purchase one for £10, as well as t-shirts and badges.

It is believed that a fan named Frank Newton is responsible for starting this wacky trend, as he turned up to Maine Road ahead of a match against Plymouth Argyle with a five-foot blow-up banana.

He is said to have borrowed his from a pal, rather than bulk-ordering them online like these lot probably have.

Blow-up bananas have since been adopted by City fans as a lighthearted symbol of their support for the club, and it seems they are now being repurposed to put on a show of solidarity.

Dante Friend, who handed out some inflatables to fans outside Anfield before the game kicked off, told The Sun: “A guy called Frank Newton took an inflatable banana to the next game, and then everyone started doing it.

“Most of the fans were having a laugh. We were s**t, we were in Division Two.

“I think, every now and then, when it’s fan-led and not club-led, [bringing back the bananas] can be really good. It’ll be a laugh.”

City’s CEO Ferran Soriano recently released a video insisting the Premier League case was ‘based on a single false accusation’ – but all fans could focus on was him seemingly not blinking during the more than three minute clip.

A man who was ‘completely at the mercy’ of the Boxing Day tsunami has told how he believes his horror injuries actually saved his life.

Andrew Chaggar miraculously survived the natural disaster in 2004 that tragically killed 220,000 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia – including his ‘wonderful’ partner Nova.

The couple had taken a year off to explore the world and after travelling through China, Vietnam and Cambodia, they fatefully decided to spend the Christmas period in Thailand in a beachfront bungalow.

Andrew courageously opened up about his story of survival and the loss of Nova while speaking to LADbible Stories in a new episode of Minutes With.

He detailed how the dream trip they had spent a number of years saving up for turned into a nightmare after ferocious waves smashed into their accommodation in Khao Lak and swept them away.

Andrew, who was 27 at the time, recalled how the row of bungalows were ‘took down like dominoes’ after the first wave of the Indian Ocean tsunami hit.

He described how the homes began to ‘violently’ shake, while he could hear a noise comparable to a ‘jet engine building up for takeoff’ – adding that Nova ‘looked quite scared’ when he glanced over at her for the final time.

“I literally remember being in the bungalow and, the next minute, basically waking up in the water,” Andrew told Minutes With. “It was almost like being in a washing machine full of nails.

“There was this incredibly strong current, and there was just no way to swim against it. I was completely at its mercy.

“And then there was all the wreckage from the bungalows themselves. In the water, there was metal, glass, bricks, probably whole cars and things like that. It was that powerful.”

Andrew was then repeatedly ‘turned over and over’ by the force of the waves, which ‘dragged him along’ and away from the row of bungalows.

“At one point, I managed to surface, but almost immediately, I think an oil drum hit me in the head,” he continued. “That’s what caused the scar on my head, and it knocked me back under the water.

“I surfaced again, and the wave had started washing me inland. I was basically dragged through what was basically a building site for a hotel.

“At that point, it was just the concrete floors and the columns that were in place, so there were no walls.”

While he was hauled through the construction site, Andrew’s left leg suddenly became pinned against a concrete pillar due to the debris in the water.

“That’s what caused the worst of my injuries,” the dad-of-two said. “But I think it’s fundamentally what saved my life.”

Andrew believes that a worse fate would have awaited him if his leg had not become trapped, as he suspects the waves would have dragged him back out of the site and catapulted him directly into the bay.

“I’ve seen videos of Khao Lak on the day of the tsunami, and there were these huge whirlpools going on,” he said. “I think that’s what also caused a lot of people to drown – being out in the bay when all that was happening.

“So, although it caused the worst of my injuries, I think that’s fundamentally why I’m alive today.”

Being stuck there was still an ‘incredibly frightening’ experience, as Andrew explained he had never ‘even heard the word tsunami at that point, so had no idea what had happened’.

‘I was incredibly lucky’

Moments later, he began to hear the same haunting noise he had heard that morning – and the second wave then struck and he feared that due to his injuries, he would not be able to survive this one.

Explaining how he dodged death, Andrew went on: “I watched the wave come in, but again, I was incredibly lucky because, as it came in, it rose and probably stopped about six inches – about 15 centimetres – below where I was.

“Had it come any higher, it probably would have taken me with it. But the second wave came in, rose up almost to where I was and then, thankfully, dropped away without taking me.”

As well as sustaining ‘terrible’ injuries to his legs, he also broke his collarbone. Andrew spent around four hours in the construction site while being ‘incredibly worried’ about where Nova was, before he was eventually rescued from his ordeal by a pair of ‘incredibly brave’ strangers.

He explained the mental toll of the Indian Ocean tsunami was much greater than the physical, as he came to terms with the fact that Nova was gone, while he had witnessed scenes that he resembled a ‘war zone’.

Six months after the natural disaster, he was informed that Nova had been confirmed dead through a partial DNA match, which left him in ‘a pretty dark place for a long time’.

He said his healing journey has taken years and is still ongoing – but he bravely decided to return to Thailand as he had a ‘very strong urge to go back and help’.

Andrew’s experience inspired him to go back to university and do a master’s degree in international development, with a focus on disaster response, before he later launched the charity, International Disaster Volunteers (IDV).

He now works for another charity and is an inspirational speaker. He has since got married and had two children, while he also remains ‘incredibly close with Nova’s parents‘.

“I’m in this position now where my kids call Nova’s parents Grandma and Granddad,” Andrew added. “That, to me, is just amazing. I feel incredibly lucky that they’re family.

“They are family. There’s no question about it, and I feel very lucky that relationship is there.

“Obviously, as part of that, Nova is always part of our lives.”

Witnesses have shared harrowing new details about the man who died after being mauled by a tiger at a zoo in Yorkshire.

Emergency services rushed out to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park at around 1.30pm on Saturday following reports that a man had entered the enclosure and had been attacked by the tiger.

Zookeepers reportedly did ‘everything they could’ to save the man, including firing acoustic gun blasts in an attempt to scare off the tiger.

Tragically, South Yorkshire Police later confirmed that the man, who has not been identified, died at the scene.

“At 1.35pm today (Saturday October 10) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park,” the force said yesterday.

“The tiger subsequently attacked the man, resulting in serious injury.

“Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The man’s family is aware and is being supported by specialist officers. Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time.

“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.”

Witnesses at the scene claimed the man was seen ‘dancing’ on the viewing platform and asked another visitor to take a photo of him with one of the tigers in the background before the horrific incident.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, one person said that a woman had unsuccessfully attempted to pull the man back onto the viewing platform before he entered the enclosure.

Other witnesses told the Daily Mail that once in the enclosure the man had made the gesture for ‘bad’ in Makaton – a sign language system that’s used to help people communicate.

Ella Ford, was visiting the zoo with her boyfriend when the incident unfolded, speaking to the BBC, she said that ‘climbed a few barriers’ and eventually ‘jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there’.

She said that as the tiger grabbed the man he began ‘shouting for help’.

It is unclear why the man entered the tiger pen during his visit.

The zoo shares update on tiger involved in the incident

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has since confirmed that the adult Siberian tiger, called Altai, will not be euthanised following the incident.

In a statement shared with LADbible, the zoo said: “We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday’s tragic incident.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life.

“The park will be closed today and the staff team who were deeply affected by events will receive specialist support.

“Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident.”

Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary and MP for Doncaster North, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the incident.

“I send my thoughts and deepest condolences to the family of the individual who died. I am very grateful to the emergency services and staff of the park who responded,” he wrote in a social media post.