Pep Guardiola has made a fresh appeal to the Football League, demanding a 'common sense' rule change after Manchester City's January signing Marc Guehi was ruled ineligible for the upcoming Carabao Cup final. This follows City's 2-0 victory over Salford City in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, where Guehi came off the bench to score his first goal for the club.
Inconsistent Rules Spark Guardiola's Frustration
The core of Guardiola's irritation lies in the differing regulations between the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. This season, the FA Cup altered its rules to permit players to feature for more than one club in the same campaign, which allowed Guehi to play against Salford despite having previously appeared in the competition for Crystal Palace. However, the Carabao Cup maintains stricter eligibility criteria.
Why Guehi is Currently Barred from the Final
Manchester City will face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on March 22, the first major final of the 2025/26 season. While another January signing, Antoine Semenyo, is eligible to play, Guehi is not. This discrepancy arises from a timing rule: players must be registered with their new club before the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals to be eligible for the final. Semenyo's transfer from Bournemouth was completed before City's semi-final first leg against Newcastle, whereas Guehi's £20 million move from Crystal Palace was finalized after that deadline.
Guardiola expressed his bewilderment to the BBC after the Salford match, stating, "For example, he cannot play in the final of the Carabao Cup. Why can he play here and why not in the other one? Common sense [it] is not but it's OK." He further emphasised the club's position, revealing that City have formally petitioned the Football League to make an exception for Guehi, given the significant investment involved.
Guardiola's Public Campaign for Change
The Manchester City manager has been vocal in his criticism of the rule, previously telling Sky Sports, "Hopefully in March, we can arrive with the players fit and hopefully you can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc Guehi can play in the final because it's difficult to understand that the club who make a big investment to pay one player who belongs to us and I don't understand why he cannot play the final." He added a plea for the governing body to reconsider, saying, "So hopefully we write a letter and hopefully the Carabao Cup can understand. He's not able to play for a rule that I don't understand why. Hopefully, they can change it."
Guehi's Impact and City's Form
Despite the controversy, Guehi made a positive impact in the FA Cup, replacing John Stones in the second half against Salford and scoring to secure City's progression to the fifth round. Guardiola acknowledged the goal's importance, noting, "It's better for that [Guehi goal]. It has been a really tough three weeks with a lot of games and it's demanding. Today was the last game and now we have a mini break." The win came after a challenging period for City, who had navigated a packed fixture schedule.
The situation highlights a broader debate about transfer regulations and competition consistency in English football. Guardiola's appeals put pressure on the Football League to review its rules, potentially sparking discussions on aligning eligibility criteria across domestic cups to avoid similar conflicts in the future.
