Man City's Pep Guardiola Fined for 'Act of Defiance' Over Wearing Yellow Ribbon
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been fined £20,000 for his "act of defiance" in the wearing of a yellow ribbon.
The Spaniard claimed to have worn said ribbon in support of imprisoned politicians in Catalonia back in November, and paid no heed to the FA after being warned over the infringement regarding their strict rules on political symbols.
He accepted an FA charge last week after being accused of wearing a political message, and has since been fined by the Premier League's governing body, who have revealed that the manager was sent "several warning letters."
The FA spoke to Guardiola in December after sending two prior warnings. But action was taken when he wore it at pitchside during an FA Cup loss to Wigan last month. It should be noted that he is free to wear the ribbon anywhere else.
Despite the FA's insistence, Guardiola claimed that he would continue to wear the symbol, arguing that it was "not about politicians, it's about democracy."
FA chief executive Martin Glenn, though, said that "it's a symbol of Catalan independence" and "we don't want political symbols in football."
Guardiola argued that the FA's stance on what should be worn in English football is "confusing and contradictory." He also claimed that the infraction was accidental, as he only displayed the ribbon after his jacket was unzipped.
The manager's arguments were rejected by the regulatory commission, who considered banning him before deciding on a financial penalty, which was knocked down from £30,000 to £20,000 due to mitigating factors.
