London (AFP) – England’s Football Association on Friday fined Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola £20,000 ($27,700) for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of jailed Catalan independence leaders.
The City boss has also been warned as to his future conduct by the governing body after accepting a charge of “wearing a political message”.
Guardiola has argued wearing the symbol is not political but has accepted it is in breach of the FA’s kit and advertising regulations.
He has not apologised for the gesture but has said he will stop wearing it during domestic matches in order to observe the rules.
The Catalonia-born City boss will continue to wear the ribbon for pre and post-match media commitments, however. This is permitted as the FA’s regulations refer specifically to the technical area during games.
He can also wear it during Champions League matches, as he did for Wednesday’s clash against Basel, because it is not a breach of UEFA codes.
