The Poznań

The Poznań or Grecque is a form of sporting celebration that involves supporters standing with their backs to the pitch, linking shoulders side-by-side and jumping on the spot in unison. It is mostly associated with supporters of football clubs Lech Poznań in Poland, Manchester City in England, Celtic in Scotland, Ajax in the Netherlands, Atletico Ottawa in Canada, Deportivo Alavés in Spain, the Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia, Maccabi Haifa in Israel, Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, FC Copenhagen in Denmark, and Al Wasl in the United Arab Emirates, although it has been performed by fans of many football clubs throughout the world. Its first use is thought to have been as a protest against club management while still supporting the team.

Usage

The Poznań celebration involves the fans turning their backs to the pitch, joining arms and jumping up and down in unison. In Poland, and among many fans across Europe, it is not called "the Poznań" but is known as a "Grecque", and it is performed by fans of many teams.
Despite initially failing to impress Manchester City fans when it was done during the teams' meeting in the UEFA Europa League group stage on 21 October 2010, it was subsequently adopted by City supporters during a game early the following month. The activity was coined 'The Poznań' by Manchester City fans, in homage to the club that inspired them to celebrate in this way. Apart from odd occasions, it died out as a regular celebration within a couple of seasons. The Poznań was briefly adopted by other English football supporters, notably those of Leicester City after their clash with Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2011, and is referred to by English football fans as "doing the Poznań".

It has also been used to mock Manchester City fans, such as when newly promoted side Cardiff City beat them 3-2 in August 2013. More examples include when Arsenal supporters did the Poznań celebration after Mikel Arteta scored the winning goal for Arsenal in April 2012 and when Arsenal beat Manchester City in the Premier League. Manchester City supporters did it during a Manchester derby game in the 2010–11 FA Cup semi-final as well as Bayern Munich fans during a Champions League group match against them in October 2013. Arsenal supporters also did the Poznań during the 3-0 win in the 2014 FA Community Shield against Man City, and again in January 2015, when Arsenal beat them 0-2, as did Crystal Palace fans at the 2016 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

Initially, the supporters group of Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers, The Red and Black Bloc, performed it in the 80th minute of matches to represent the first football match played in Western Sydney in 1880. Subsequently, this has grown into an all stadium celebration. In return, their local rival, Sydney FC, and their hard-core supporters "The Cove" performed it in retribution when they were in a winning position near the 90th minute during their local derby.

The Poznan has become an exhilarating pre-game tradition for American club Charlotte FC fans. The club had several Polish international players, Karol Świderski, Kamil Jóźwiak, and Jan Sobocinski, on their inaugural 2021-2022 season roster. The Poznan performed by Charlotte FC fans pay tribute to the players' Polish heritage and has become a way for supporters to show appreciation for their contributions to the team.

Alternatives

Fans of the Scottish club Celtic have a similar celebration known as "The Huddle", whilst also facing away from the pitch; the words sung by the fans are "Let's All Do The Huddle". The "Huddle" performed by Celtic fans is closely linked to the on-field huddle conducted by the Celtic team prior to kick-off which was introduced by Tony Mowbray during his playing career at the club in the mid 1990s. Over the years, Celtic fans have carried out various versions of the huddle, although the first example of it being performed by large numbers of the club's supporters at a game was during a 3-0 win over Rangers at Celtic Park in February 2011.

Supporters of Deportivo Alavés, a La Liga team, have been known to celebrate most of their team's goals with a variation of "The Poznań" since at least 2014, in which they stand with their backs to the pitch, linking shoulders side-by-side and jumping on the spot while they sing the tune to the ''Pippi Longstocking'' TV series.

FC Copenhagen ultras have the past several years celebrated wins using a variant of the Poznań where the fans turn their backs to the pitch and jump from side to side while the players on the pitch do the same.

See also

* The Bouncy
*Mexican wave
*"Jump Around", a 1992 song by American hip hop group House of Pain used as the backdrop for similar fan actions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poznań
Association football culture
Lech Poznań
Manchester City F.C.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC
Articles containing video clips