Pellegrini pays price for referee rant

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will have to watch his side´s Champions League return against Barcelona from the stands after being hit with a three-game ban by UEFA.

Manchester – The 60-year-old slated Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson after City lost the first leg 2-0 at home – and now he will have to watch from afar on March 12 as the Citizens attempt to pull off a miracle in the Nou Camp against Alexis Sánchez´s Barcelona.

The three-game ban, one of which has been suspended, means Pellegrini can watch the match, but he can´t communicate with his players or coaching staff during the game. In addition, he´s not allowed to enter the dressing room, tunnel or technical area before or during the game.

City could appeal on Pellegrini´s behalf, though it´s highly unlikely that the punishment would be reduced sufficiently for him to lead the team against Barcelona.

The normally reserved Pellegrini saw crucial decisions go against his side in the first leg and couldn´t hide his fury afterwards, though he later apologised for his comments.

He said: “From the beginning I felt the referee was not impartial to both teams.

“I think it was not a good idea to put a referee from Sweden in charge of such an important match, especially a referee who has made an important mistake against Barcelona in a previous match.

“A big game with two important teams, that kind of game needs a referee with more experience.”

On the positive side, the former Real Madrid boss could land his first trophy as City boss this Sunday (11am Chilean time) when his side take on Gus Poyet´s Sunderland in the League Cup final.

The Citizens will be hot favourites to win the trophy at Wembley Stadium, even though the Black Cats have seen off Chelsea and Manchester United to reach the final.

Pellegrini said: “I´m going to be very happy if we win because I believe that it would reflect all the hard work we´ve done this year. We have played very well in this competition, winning all the games, scoring 19 goals and conceding only one.

“It´s beautiful to play a final at Wembley and I´m sure all my players will be 100 per cent motivated to win.”

Tags: Football, Manchester City, Manuel Pellegrini