5 funniest fan protests in football

The sombre sight of Liverpool fans walking out of their beloved Anfield environs to protest a staggering £77 ticket in their Premier League match against Sunderland was cathartic for many fans of Premier League clubs who echo their sentiments. Sadly, as Liverpool blew a two goal lead to draw that game following the walkout, their was much gnashing of teeth on both sides of the argument, as there were no winners here. However, there are times in football when supporters can make a justified point while also drawing a laugh, often the best strategy to drive home an uncomfortable point. Here are five times when fans brought a little humour into their protests.

#1 Goals and Arrows

Magdeburg’s supporters are not content to offer advice from the comfort of an armchair

FC Magdeburg are a German club who have languished in the bottom divisions of Germany without achieving anything of note, bar a Cup Winner’s Cup in the 70s. However, their fans catapulted the 3rd tier German club into football’s attention with their creative strategy to solve their side’s problems in front of goal.

Having witnessed their side go 5 games without a goal in the 4th division of German football in the 2011/12 season, most supporter’s would rage and phone-in radio stations with their angry rhetoric. The Germans, however, are an enterprising lot, and with a ‘can-do’ attitude in place, decided to help out their side in the the most practical manner possible.

Wielding giant, luminous cardboard arrows, the supporters showed up to the game and literally pointed towards the goal in a bid to end their side’s goal drought. The fans also unfurled a banner which read ‘Wir zeigen euch, wo das tor steht!’ or ‘Don't worry guys, we'll show you where the goal is!’

The most surprising thing of all? It worked! The side’s American striker Chris Wright scored with a towering header from a corner to end his side’s 558 minute goal drought. Even when the Germans are being silly, they can’t help being efficient too.

Here’s a video of the Magdeburg’s hilarious supporters in action:

#2 Turkey Trollface

Never come between a Turkish fan and his flare

Turkish fans are synonymous with flares. Woe betide the fool that dares to part a Turkish football fan from his beloved luminous fire-stick. That is precisely what the Turkish Football Federation attempted, banning flares from all stadiums, on quite logical grounds of public safety.

If there’s one group of fans it does not pay to antagonize, it’s the ones that frequent the Turkish Super Lig. In response to the ban, fans of the club Eskiehirspor, took it upon themselves to provide a fitting response. Unfurling a giant trollface banner with the word ‘Problem?’ underneath it, the fans made clear what they thought of the Federations attempt at safety.

If that wasn’t enough, the banner was peppered with holes, out of which popped - surprise, surprise, flares! The irony? Given that those with the flares were under the sheet, they couldn’t be identified for prosecution. The cherry on top of the delicious trollface cake? The sheet draped over thousands of supporters with multiple flaming sticks poking through it did not catch on fire, thus making a point to the authorities.

Here’s a video of the entire unfurling, shot from the opposite end of the stadium.

#3 Foot-Tennis-Ball

‘Ball-picker’ isn’t one of Tuchel’s revolutionary roles for Mats Hummels

Borussia Dortmund’s fans are at it again. The fans of the German club are notorious for their vociferous support, but with rising ticket prices also a problem in the Bundesliga, have thrown in with their Liverpudlian counterparts in protesting the costs for an average football fan.

In stark contrast to the ashen faced Liverpool supporters that made their way to the exit, Dortmund came up with a far more entertaining and, possibly effective, way of voicing their protest. After abstaining from attending the game in the opening 20 minutes, sections of the Dortmund support came in and promptly littered the pitch with multiple tennis balls. The sight of referees and multi-millionaire footballers going ball-picking is one that is sure to cause much laughter.

Surprisingly this wasn’t the only incident of tennis balls on a football pitch. Perhaps football fans universally harbour illicit sentiments of love for Roger Federer, or perhaps the squishy tennis ball is cheap, safe and disruptive enough to serve the purposes of a protest. Which is what fans of Sevilla did when protesting the delaying of their game’s kickoof by 30 minutes, just so that Spanish TV companies could broadcast press conferences of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

Their response? Simultaneously launching a 1000 yellow missiles onto the pitch, while chanting a far more racier version of “I’m sick of Barcelona and Real Madrid.”

#4 The Chickens of Blackburn

Cook-a-doodle-do not ruin our club please?

Supporters of Blackburn Rovers must rue the day that Venky’s set their sights on the storied English club. In what must have been quite traumatic viewing for their fans, Balckburn went from being a stable, mid-table Premier League club to the laughing stock of English football in no time, as their owners tore into the foundations of the club like one of their customers tearing into a tub of fried chicken. It was a mess.

Going into the final day of the 2011/12 season, Blackburn needed to win to keep their Premier League status. However, in the 7^th minute of the game, a chicken draped in the club’s flag walked out onto the pitch, and the sight of tall, buff footballers Yakubu and Ali Al Habsi chasing after the chicken caused quite a lote of mirth amidst Blackburn’s desolate outlook.

That a chicken draped in Blackburn’s colours stepped onto the pitch was ominous, as the club’s players produced an insipid performance worthy of their unofficial mascot’s cowardly nature, and lost 1-0 to Wigan Athletic to bow out of the Premier League.

The rot has not stopped there sadly, and with the ‘Blackburn Chicken’ making two more appearances in subsequent seasons, it is not surprising to see the club languishing near the bottom of the Championship.

#5 Rayo\'s buccaneering Simpsons

But won’t anyone think of the children?! – Helen Lovejoy

Rayo Vallecano’s ultras, also know as the Bukaneros, are one of Spain’s most notorious fan groups, sometimes unfairly for the wrong reasons. However, unlike many ultras, their protests are rather creative and well thought out. Take for instance, their response to a fixture being moved to 11pm on a weekday. The entire stand was empty, save for two people dressed up in Sesame Street characters, Bert and Ernie’s costumes, in sleeping bags, with the banner ‘Please keep the noise down – it’s time for sleep, not football.’

However, the protest that took the cake was an elaborate Simpsons-themed staging, as the Bukaneros protested against repeatedly having to witness Monday Night Football, as their fixtures were constantly rescheduled in favour of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Here are a few of the banners

More TV rights. More money. Excellent – Monty Burns

This is the best league on the planet? HAHAHAHAHAHA – Evil Alien

I like Mondays. I’m Special – Ralph Wiggums