Lincoln Financial Field likely hasn’t seen anything like this before.
During Wednesday’s FIFA Club World Cup matchup between the English side Manchester City and Wydad AC, fans of the Moroccan club threw and set off flares that produced red smoke in support of their team.
The match had to be briefly paused, as security officials for the Philadelphia Eagles’ home stadium went back and forth with Wydad fans. Most of the flares landed behind the goal but some reached the field and Man City goalkeeper Ederson even had to kick one off the pitch.
The fans unleashed the flares while their club was trailing 2-0 in the second half of the match, hoping to ignite some firepower within the team — with their signature chants ringing through the stadium loud and proud all the while.
While security may not have liked the smoking flares, it sure did make for a fascinating sight as the sea of Wydad fans in their club’s colors had clouds of matching smoke hovering over them.
The Wydad fans were especially electric all day long, with soccer fans saluting them for their passion and the atmosphere that they were able to create in Philadelphia.
“For Man City fans watching, that’s what a decent atmosphere looks like,” one X user posted.
While the famed English Premier League club looked to have plenty more fans in attendance, Wydad’s supporters made their presence far more known.
According to reporter Maher Mezahi, the “US Embassy in Morocco issued 1,000 visas before the tournament, but the club estimates hundreds of others already had travel documents.”
The club hailing from Casablanca, Morocco, competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football league system.
In their matchup Wednesday, they had “a mass of authentic support in this huge stadium,” Mezahi added.
The loads of support didn’t amount to a victory, though, as Man City held on for the 2-0 win.
The match was the first of any teams in Group G of the Club World Cup, so Man City now holds the top spot while Wydad is in fourth. Juventus and Al Ain play Wednesday night to round out the Group G standings for the day.
