Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn is adamant Pep Guardiola is displaying a political symbol by choosing to wear a yellow ribbon.
The Manchester City manager has until 6pm on Monday to respond to an FA charge relating to the ribbon, which he wears in support of two political leaders who were imprisoned following Catalonia’s independence referendum in October.
That was declared illegal by Spain and Guardiola, one of Catalonia’s favourite and most famous sons, has worn the ribbon since and says it is for “humanity”.
“We have rewritten Law 4 of the game so that things like a poppy are OK but things that are going to be highly divisive are not,” Glenn said.
“That could be strong religious symbols, it could be the Star of David, it could the hammer and sickle, it could be a swastika, anything like Robert Mugabe on your shirt – these are the things we don’t want.
“Poppies are not political symbols; that yellow ribbon is. Where do you draw the line, should we have someone with a Ukip badge? Someone with an Isis badge? That’s why you have to be pretty tough that local, regional, national party organisations cannot use football shirts to represent them.”
