Origins
The Ayatollah celebration came into use at Cardiff City games in 1990. It was originally performed by the singer and fans of a Welsh-language punk group called U Thant. It was first performed by Cardiff City fans at Sincil Bank, home of Lincoln City, on September 15, 1990, the day after U Thant had played a gig at Cardiff's Chapter Arts Centre. U Thant's singer had been inspired by footage of attendants at the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini, which was broadcast live on British TV, doing the movement to express their grief at his death.
It has been claimed that it was initially used as a sign of despair at the way the team were playing. It quickly became very popular with fans of the club, and has since been used in terms of celebration and support for the team. Away games at Hereford United and Peterborough United in 1992 helped cement its place in the fans' repertoire.
The start of the Ayatollah has often mistakenly been credited to former chairman Sam Hammam. This is likely due to the national coverage of Hammam performing the celebration pitchside and in front of the visiting Leeds fans, drawing criticism from then-Leeds manager David O'Leary, the Football Association, and a BBC undercover report, following the now infamous 2-1 victory over Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup in 2002, which saw crowd trouble after final whistle.
Read more about this topic: The Ayatollah (football Celebration)
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