Why Man City fans do the Poznan celebration at games

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Manchester City supporters will often perform the Poznan celebration at games and they have done so since 2010.

Manchester City supporters have become accustomed to success in recent years, and their Poznan celebration has often provided the backdrop for their side's scintillating displays.

During or after matches, supporters can be seen turning their backs on the pitch, interlocking arms and bouncing up and down. It has become almost as iconic as the club's Blue Moon anthem. But why do City fans perform the celebration? The roots go back to a Europa League group stage match in 2010.

City were facing Polish side Lech Poznan on October 21, 2010. The Blues won 3-1 with Emmanuel Adebayor scoring a hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium. However, the defeat did not stop the 6,000 away fans from enjoying their visit to the Etihad. The Poznan supporters turned their backs on the pitch and jumped up and down in defeat.

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That celebration, also known as 'Le Grecque', has historical roots with the Lech fans. Their fanbase have been doing the celebration as far back as 1961 and it has been adopted by other teams in Poland and Eastern Europe since.

Noticing what the away end was doing that night, City fans joined in, recreating the celebration. Now, 16 years on, City fans still perform the Poznan and it is a favourite with the current squad too.

After missing a crucial game with Liverpool back in 2023, Haaland was captured performing the Poznan with friends in his box as Julian Alvarez equalised on the way to a 4-1 victory. However, the celebration is not everyone's cup of tea, with Oasis star Noel Gallagher often spotted not joining in when attending games.

That being said, on their summer tour last year, Oasis orchestrated fans to do Poznan's during their performances, leading to Lech Poznan to thank both City and the Gallaghers for spreading their name worldwide. "We are truly proud that such a great club as Manchester City helped to spread the name of our city and team in such a remarkable way," an open letter from the Polish club read.

"We’ve seen the recordings from your concerts where you encourage Oasis fans to join in and do ‘the Poznan’ – and we have to say, it really makes a huge impression."