Last Updated:
Guardiola left reporters scratching their heads with his reply to being asked about Lewis’ red card in the last Premier League game against Crystal Palace, after being involved in a verbal altercation with referee Robert Jones on the field.
Manchester City’s Head Coach Pep Guardiola. (Image: AP)
Pep Guardiola gave a head-scratching answer on being asked about Rico Lewis’ red card in the last Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday, December 7.
Manchester City managed to secure one point from the away fixture which ended in a 2-2 draw. Lewis who struck the second goal for the visitors was given the marching order in the 84th minute. He saw the first yellow for arguing with the referee and received another for an untimely tackle on Trevoh Chalobah. Questions were asked about his second yellow.
The reply showed Lewis seemingly had no intention to foul Chalobah. He just tried to block a pass but ended up being caught by the Crystal Palace defender. After the final whistle, Guardiola was captured engaging in a verbal altercation with referee Robert Jones on the field. During the post-match interview, the Manchester City boss was asked about the incident by a BBC journalist.
“It’s because it is Rico,” Guardiola simply replied. The reporter was visibly confused by the response and asked, “Sorry?” Guardiola answered in the same tone, “It is Rico.” The journalist then again asked the Spanish manager to elaborate. “Sorry, I could not understand,” he said, to which Guardiola repeated, “It is because he is Rico.”
Still confused, the reporter tried to clear his thoughts and asked, “Because it is Rico Lewis you think he got a yellow card?” In reply, Guardiola questioned, “You think it is a yellow card?” The reporter then explained, “No, no. I am asking you do you think it was a yellow card?” But, Guardiola once again came up with the same reply– “It is Rico Lewis.”
It was not the first time Guardiola hit the headlines for his bizarre off-field antics this week. In a recent viral clip, he was captured being held back from confronting a fan on the streets. The footage surfaced on social media after Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Manchester City have managed just one win in the last nine matches across all competitions. They will next face Juventus in an away Champions League game on December 12. Their upcoming Premier League fixture will be a Manchester derby, scheduled for December 15.
- Location :
United Kingdom (UK)
