10/20/2026 04:03:00
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10/20 16:01 CDT Man City fans stay away from 5-1 Champions League rout of AEK
Athens
Man City fans stay away from 5-1 Champions League rout of AEK Athens
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- Manchester City played in front of rows of empty
seats as fans stayed away from the Champions League clash against AEK Athens on
Tuesday.
A well-below capacity crowd attended City's 5-1 win, with swathes of empty rows
visible inside the newly-expanded 61,000-seater Etihad Stadium.
The official attendance was not immediately revealed by City or European
soccer's governing body UEFA.
The low turnout was a surprise given City fans have been in defiant mood since
the club was found guilty of widespread financial wrongdoing, which could see
it face a range of punishments including a huge fine, points deduction or even
expulsion from the Premier League.
More than 60,000 attended City's last Champions League game against Paris
Saint-Germain, when the embattled club put on a pre-match fireworks show and a
highlights reel of its greatest moments on the stadium's big screens in what
could be interpreted as a defiant response to the ruling, which it has appealed.
Fans have turned up with inflatable bananas, resurrecting a craze from the
1980s long before it became the dominant force in English soccer via the
backing of its Emerati ownership. But there were few on show on this occasion.
Perhaps the low turnout reflected the fact it was City's third home game in
less than a week, following matches against PSG and Ipswich.
Those who did stay away missed another slick performance from Enzo Maresca's
team, which tops the Premier League and quickly bounced back from defeat to PSG
with another win in the Champions League.
Phil Foden scored a hat trick, with Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki also on
target.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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See AP's full soccer coverage here
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