Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City fans not to boo the Champions League anthem before their final against Inter Milan.
City fans have booed the anthem for years for various reasons, and that has continued this season despite the team making it all the way to the final. While there is little love for UEFA from the Blues, there has never been more hunger to win the Champions League and there will be 20,000 City fans in the stadium in Istanbul willing Guardiola and his players on on Saturday.
The booing has been a subject of debate among fans, but there is still a sizable contingent that do it and it does not appear to have had a negative impact on the players this season given they scored 14 unanswered goals against Leipzig, Bayern and Real at the Etihad in the Champions League knockout rounds. However, there has been the suggestion that City fans should Poznan instead of boo this weekend.
Ilkay Gundogan spoke this week about the boost that the team got from City fans creating a positive noise ahead of their FA Cup final against United, believing it contributed to them taking the lead inside 12 seconds. Guardiola told the supporters to leave the past behind when they take on Inter to celebrate the competition that they are trying to win.
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"I completely agree with Ilkay. It's a day to celebrate it," said Guardiola. "For Inter and Man City fans it is a day to be happy.
"This is the most important thing. What happened in the past is the past. The Champions League is an incredible competition, we are here to support UEFA with their competition unconditionally. We are not going to boo anymore, we are going to support the game."
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