Guardiola bows to FA rules despite disagreement

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted he will live by the English Football Association’s (FA) rules even if he doesn’t agree with an FA charge for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of imprisoned pro-independence campaigners in his native Catalonia.

On Monday, Guardiola admitted the FA charge of wearing a political symbol, which he has sported since a number of Catalan politicians and civil society leaders were remanded in custody in October.

“They are the rules, they have them and they apply them so I accept the decision because I have to,” Guardiola said on Tuesday as he addressed the media ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Basel once again wearing the yellow ribbon.

Guardiola will still be free to wear the ribbon in Champions League games as UEFA have a different set of rules to the FA.“I am in this country working and under the rules, but that doesn’t mean that I agree whether they are right or wrong,” added Guardiola.

“Many times in history after some time we see that decisions taken were not just.”Guardiola also rebuked FA chief executive Martin Glenn for failing to understand the significance of the yellow ribbon.