Guardiola vows to write to the FA and explain yellow ribbon

Pep Guardiola will personally write a letter to English football’s governing body to explain his reasons for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of Catalan independence.

The Manchester City manager was charged on Friday after ignoring two formal warnings since December, and has until next Monday to respond.

Guardiola is likely to be fined for wearing the ribbon on the touchline in City’s shock FA Cup defeat to Wigan, but faces a ban if he continues to commit the same offence. He wore it again during Sunday’s Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal and afterwards vowed to keep doing so.

However, it is understood that Guardiola may argue that he made an attempt to cover the ribbon up beneath a coat on both occasions but it became visible.

It remains to be seen if that cuts any ice with the FA, but Guardiola will try to make his case in writing before Monday’s deadline.

“Of course, I am going to write a letter and I am going to explain our position,’ he said. ‘I am available for the FA, absolutely, so it is no problem.”

Guardiola also paid tribute to the City fans who wore the ribbon in support of him during the cup final at Wembley.

“The feeling to belong to something, I am really grateful for that initiative,’ he added. ‘They don’t have to do it. It is another country, yet they did that. That makes me really happy because that makes people understand the situation, what is going on, people in prison in Spain. So I’m a 100 per cent grateful to them.”

A defiant Guardiola has been wearing the ribbon in support of politicians Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez who were jailed in October for their role in the fight for Catalan independence.

He is allowed to wear it in press conferences before and after the game, but not on the touchline.