PEP PAYS PRICE

City boss is facing 3-game ban

PEP GUARDIOLA is facing a three-match touchline ban.

The Manchester City boss has been charged with two counts of improper conduct by UEFA over his red-card rant at ref Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

Guardiola was sent off at half-time after raging at Lahoz for wrongly disallowing a Leroy Sane goal as City crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Liverpool. He will be

banned for one game next season but could get two more if UEFA find him guilty of using abusive language.

Guardiola insisted he was polite despite the pair having had previous run-ins and referring to him as a ‘special’ referee who ‘likes to be different’.

Guardiola is also facing a fine if found guilty of communicating with his bench during the second half when he was sent to the stands.

UEFA rules state that a staff member sent off cannot communicate ‘directly or indirectly with the team’s players and/or technical staff during the match’.

Liverpool also face two more charges over the behaviour of their fans in Tuesday’s quarterfinal second leg with supporters accused of using fireworks or flares and throwing objects.

The Reds already have four charges hanging over them from the first leg, when City’s team bus was badly damaged on the way to Anfield.

City striker Gabriel Jesus admits his side’s Euro exit and failure to seal the title in Saturday’s Manchester derby has put a huge dampener on their campaign.

Jesus, who scored in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat, said: “It’s difficult because the last three defeats, unfortunately, overshadow what we have been doing all season.

“We now have to focus on Saturday and fight for the win and wrap up the title.”

®