Manchester City players will refund money to supporters who traveled to Norway for Tuesday night’s shock 3-1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.
After losing 2-0 in the derby against Manchester United, another poor performance saw City fall 3-0 down, and Rayan Cherki pulled a goal back in the nick of time, but any glimmer of hope for a comeback was snuffed out when Rodri was shown a red card moments later.
It was the night manager Josep Guardiola said he felt “everything was going wrong” for City, and the players decided to refund the ticket costs of 374 fans who traveled to the Arctic Circle.
“Our supporters mean everything to us,” the captain group of Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland said in a statement.
“We know the sacrifices our fans make by traveling all over the world to support us, and we will never take that for granted. They are the best fans in the world.”
“We also recognize that it has been a difficult journey for our fans, who spent a tough night on the pitch and supported us in the freezing cold. It is the least we can do to cover the ticket costs for those who traveled to Bodo.
“I’m ready to play against Wolves on Saturday and then next Wednesday against Galatasaray in front of our great fans at the Etihad.”
Manchester City players applaud supporters after defeat against Bodø/Glimt
Official Supporters Club representative Kevin Parker welcomed the move.
“Manchester City fans will travel to the ends of the earth to support our team, and last night was no different in the Arctic Circle,” said Parker. “Bodo is not an easy place to get to and the sub-zero temperatures made it a challenging night for the fans on many levels.
“City’s support has a great connection with the players on match days and this gesture is another reminder of that relationship and means a lot to us.
“I know the players are disappointed with the loss to Bodo, but we have a chance to get back to winning ways in our next game at home on Saturday and I’m sure our fans will be rooting for the team in full force as always.”
City have only won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in their last seven games, with three draws and one loss in their last four league games, starting with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
Lijnders: We did not underestimate Bodo
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Manager Tijjani Lijnders admits Manchester City were vulnerable after Tuesday’s shock Champions League defeat to Bodo Grimdt, but says they are working extremely hard to turn things around.
Man City midfielder Tijani Lijnders, who played the full 90 minutes for Norway, told Sky Sports News they were vulnerable.
“We never underestimated them,” he says. “We knew they were pretty good on their home turf and should have done a lot better, especially since they had a chance of making the top eight. Now it’s the last game.
“At the moment we are in a fragile state. We are not as stable as before. That is something we have to work on and get out of as quickly as possible.”
“The most important thing right now is to stick together as a group and continue to do the basics well, especially during these difficult times.”
