Guardiola handed two-match ban but will face Arsenal thanks to regulatory loophole
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has been handed a two-match suspension following his side's 3-1 victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup. The punishment comes after the Spaniard received his sixth yellow card of the season, shown by referee Sam Barrott for his animated reaction to a foul on Jeremy Doku.
Details: According to the regulations, the ban applies to matches under the jurisdiction of the Premier League and the FA Cup. This means Pep will be forced to watch from the stands during next Saturday’s away clash against West Ham, and will also miss the FA Cup quarter-final scheduled for early April. In these fixtures, Guardiola’s assistants will take over touchline duties while the boss serves his suspension.
However, he will be able to attend the Carabao Cup final, as the ban does not cover the upcoming showdown against Arsenal. The tournament’s regulations allow the coach to be present in the technical area at Wembley, since the suspension does not apply to this competition. As a result, Manchester City will not be without their mastermind for the season’s first trophy decider.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Guardiola stressed that his emotional display stemmed solely from his desire to protect his players from rough challenges on the pitch. According to Pep, he did not ask for opponents to be sent off, but only demanded fair recognition of fouls.
Reminder: Real Madrid are reportedly ready to spend a total of €100 million on Manchester City midfielder Rodri and Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck.
