© EuroFootball.com
After the lost match to Barcelona, undisciplined Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini may face disciplinary action.
The Chilean's pupils were forced to admit the superiority of the Catalan club with a 0:2 score, and during the match, the decision of Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson received the most attention.
In the 53rd minute of the game, Jonas Eriksson removed City defender Martin Demichelis from the field for a "last man" foul against Lionel Messi and awarded a penalty kick to Barcelona.
During the press conference, M. Pellegrini did not hide his dissatisfaction: "I don't think it was a good decision to assign a Swedish refereeing team to such important matches. One referee made a mistake and essentially influenced the outcome of the game."
"From the very beginning of the match, I felt that the referee was not fair to both teams. He favored Barça. I believe that football in Europe is more important than football in Sweden, and such matches required a more experienced referee," lamented the Chilean.
Furthermore, as reported by the Spanish sports media, M. Pellegrini also had some choice words for the assistant referee.
Now, J. Eriksson and the match delegate have 48 hours to prepare an official summary of the events on the pitch. If M. Pellegrini's behavior is described in the report, the Manchester City coach may be considered by a special UEFA committee. The Chilean could face a warning, a monetary fine, or disqualification.
If UEFA decides to take the strictest action, the tongue-tied and emotion-driven Manchester City strategist will most likely not be able to lead his team in the second Champions League round of 16 match at the Camp Nou stadium.
