Pep Guardiola will continue to wear his yellow ribbon.
The Manchester City manager, who wears the ribbon in support of jailed pro-independence Catalan politicians, was charged by the FA on Friday for promoting a political message. This breaches the governing body’s kit and advertising regulations, and could see him hit with a fine or a touchline ban.
However, speaking after City’s Carabao Cup win on Sunday afternoon, Guardiola explained that the potential punishments he faced would not deter him from wearing the symbol.
“I am a human being and this is for humanity,” he explained, later adding: “I will accept whatever they decide about my behaviour, it’s not a lack of respect, it’s being part of humanity.”
Guardiola was later asked by journalist Rob Harris how he can reconcile his stance on the matter when working for a club owned by Abu Dhabi, given some of the human rights abuse accusations made against the state.
“Every country decides the way they want to live,” he replied.
The City manager has until 18:00 GMT on Monday, March 5 to respond to the charge against him. He had previously been spoken to by the FA about the issue in December, as well as receiving and ignoring two formal warnings.
