Pep Gets Touchline Ban
Pep Guardiola is facing a two-game touchline ban after picking up his sixth yellow card of the season during City's 3-1 FA Cup win at Newcastle. His heated exchange with officials means he'll be watching City's next two games from the stands.
The latest yellow card for Pep Guardiola was issued after he vehemently protested a foul on Jérémy Doku by Kieran Trippier that went unpunished during Manchester City's FA Cup match against Newcastle. Guardiola confronted the fourth official, Lewis Smith, which led referee Samuel Barrott to show him the yellow card. Under regulations for the 2025/26 season, managers who accumulate six yellow cards in domestic competitions are handed an automatic two-match touchline ban. This follows a one-game suspension for reaching three yellow cards. Guardiola sarcastically remarked after the match that he now holds the record for the manager with the most yellow cards. Guardiola will be absent from the dugout for City's upcoming Premier League match against West Ham and their subsequent FA Cup quarter-final tie in early April. However, due to an exemption in the rules for major finals, he will be on the touchline for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22. The suspension also does not apply to European competitions, so he will be present for the Champions League clash with Real Madrid. With Guardiola in the stands, coaching duties on the touchline are expected to be handled by his new assistant manager, Pepijn Lijnders. Lijnders, the former assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, joined City's coaching staff in the summer of 2025. This is not the first time Manchester City will be without their manager on the sidelines. In August 2023, former assistant coach Juanma Lillo took charge for two matches while Guardiola was recovering from back surgery. The team maintained its winning form, securing victories against both Sheffield United and Fulham.
