Pep Guardiola avoids FA Charge for commenting on Manchester derby referee

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on the appointment of the referee Anthony Taylor before the Manchester derby. Guardiola replied: “I don’t know. So the people know, he is from Manchester but the people know the team he supports? So no problem. He is going to try to do the best job, as we try as managers and football players. Even with VAR, there will be mistakes but it will reduce that issue. Mr Taylor is going to try and make a good time. “The important thing is to focus on our game and of course knowing which opponent we are going to face and that is all. Hopefully, they can make good decisions for both sides, and a good game, like all England and all Europe, is going to watch us. “That is the most important pleasure. The referee doesn’t want to make a mistake. “He knows everyone from around the world is going to watch him and he doesn’t want to make a mistake, that is pretty sure. But, if he is a fan of United or City, everyone can be a fan of whoever he wants so no problem.” Guardiola, however, dismissed the idea that there would be any problems, as, under FA rules, Premier League managers are not allowed to speak about officials in upcoming games. The City boss fined £20,000 in March by the FA for wearing a yellow ribbon in a cup game with Wigan Athletic was asked to provide further observations about his comments. However, the FA have decided that a warning is appropriate given that it is a first-time offence and that the comments themselves were not deemed to be worthy of a charge. Manchester City beat United 3-1 thanks to goals from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan.

Aubameyang makes fun of Henrikh and Sokratis during training