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Fans can be pretty creative, but at times they certainly have crossed lines while doing that, and in this slideshow we take a look on just that. Now, fans may not be able to influence their teams directly, but their presence on the crowd speaks volumes if they are as intimidating or passionate as these following fans are. Some banners may have gotten the club into trouble, but that is the whole point of it.Here are ten of the most popular and controversial banners seen at football stadiums:
#1 Espanyol fans give Barcelona a warm welcome
Barcelona may have won the match the day this banner was used, beating their local rivals in a hard-fought 1-0 away match, but clearly the Espanyol took away the award for having the best supporters in that match.
The supporters used a banner where Espanyol where pictured as the local team, while Barcelona were welcomed as the tourist, a classic joke to mock Barcelona fans by indicating they are not local.
Wondering why is the message in English? Maybe, even that was part of their joke!
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#2 Ireland: beating others with their witty jokes, if not performance
These were some of the banners used by fans during the 2012 UEFA Euro tournament, and these two were perhaps the best among the lot.
Now, it is one thing about admitting they you might not have world class players like Xavier Hernandez or Andrea Pirlo in your team, but it takes a whole lot of courage to make an intelligent pun on it.
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#3 The four horsemen
The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is not something that is unheard of, and fans of both the clubs never waste an opportunity to undermine one another.
This was unfurled during a match-up between the two in 2012, with Celtic fans coming up with their own impression of the four horsemen of apocalypse - Death, Craig Whyte, the tax man and Neil Lennon mocking their rival's financial woes.
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#4 The never ending war
Perhaps one of the most politically controversial banners ever put up by fans, this one is often seen around Camp Nou. Catalonia and their people are very proud and protective of their language and traditions, and the same is seen on the pitch whenever Barcelona are playing.
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#5 Unclassy Bavarians
After a banner featuring the words ‘Gay Gunners' with an animated impression of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil being targeted on the back with the club's trademarked cannon during Bayern Munich's UEFA Champions League tie against the Gunners, the football's governing body gave the German club a lot of stick.
Apart from being fined 10,000 euros, a whole section of the stadium was shut down for a match.
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#6 TARA Fergie!
Back in 1989, when Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't enjoying the best of his career, a fan by the name Pete Molyneux was pictured holding a banner calling for the Scot to retire.
However, Molyneux later revealed that he was glad that Ferguson stuck around, later winning several league titles and two European cups. "I'm just glad he stuck around because what he has delivered since then is more than we could ever have dreamed of," Pete Molyneux says. "He's taken us from that nadir to a point where I now think he should be canonised.”
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#7 The Chosen One
Following the appointment of David Moyes, after he was specially hand-picked by departing manager Sir Alex Ferguson, this banner was installed at the Stretford End of Old Trafford by the Red Devil supporters at the beginning of the season, showing their confidence in Moyes.
However, following a poor season and eventually a sacking, the banner was ultimately taken down before United’s game against Norwich.
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#8 Gunners appreciating their Robin before he joined Wayne
Prior to his controversial move to Manchester United, Robin van Persie was a fan favourite among the Gunners, and why wouldn’t he be?
He was their captain, their best player, and most importantly, one of the few players they had expected to be loyal. Alas.
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#9 Cules paying tribute to one of their greatest ever
Lionel Messi is perhaps Barcelona’s best player of all time, and the fans definitely know how to acknowledge their biggest star.
After the Argentina had scored 13 goals in seven league games, the Culés showed their appreciation by unfurling a huge banner during FC Barcelona's meeting with Athletic Club that read, "Leo, you are unique and the biggest” at Camp Nou on March 31, 2012.
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#10 Borussia Dortmund supporters welcome Mario Gotze with a special banner
After Mario Gotze’s move to Bayern Munich was confirmed, Borussia Dortmund supporters did not held back one bit to express their anger towards their former player, using a banner targeted towards him
After returning to the Signal Iduna Park for his first away encounter with his former team Borussia Dortmund, Mario Gotze received a lot of stick from the local fans, and supporters
The fans held this banner during a game at the Westfalenstadion a month after the deal was confirmed.
Translation: "The pursuit of money shows how much heart one truly has... F**k off Götze!”
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