Former Manchester City striker Imre Varadi, known affectionately as 'Imre Banana', is seeing his inflatable banana business boom after fans revived the craze from the 1980s and 1990s. The revival comes in the wake of the guilty verdict handed down to City over their Premier League charges, which the club are appealing.
Craze revived after guilty verdict
Varadi joined City in the 1980s, when fans took inflatable bananas to away games. The trend eventually died down but has seen a resurgence following the verdict. City are appealing the decision, meaning the wait for a final outcome continues. If unsuccessful, the club could face a big punishment, including points deductions or even expulsion from the Premier League.
In their first game since the news of the verdict, the away end at Anfield was full of inflatable bananas. Varadi has been able to cash in on this, having launched his own company selling them.
'Demand has gone through the roof'
"The craze has taken off again," he told The Sun. "It will be 40 years next year since it began and is ingrained in City's history, so I'm proud to be a part of it.
"I launched my own company - as now the inflatable business is a billion-dollar industry. And I'm the actual 'Imre Banana' who played for City, wore the No 9 and scored goals for them!
"To see so many bananas in the away end at Anfield was really special. And this weekend's game against Ipswich is just going to be unbelievable.
"I'm getting thousands of orders from all over the world - demand has absolutely gone through the roof."
Special guest at Etihad
The 67-year-old will be a special guest at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as the club host Ipswich Town. The match will be the first Premier League encounter at home since the verdict was announced.
"The club want to see the entire Etihad holding bananas!" Varadi added. "City invited me and my family to the game and are giving us the VIP treatment."
The striker played for City for two years between 1986 and 1988, before leaving to join Sheffield Wednesday. In his time at the club, he scored 19 goals and provided one assist in 59 appearances.
City were one of several English clubs Varadi played for during his long career. He made the most appearances for Newcastle United, but also played for Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Everton, among others.
