Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has launched a strong criticism of English Football League (EFL) rules, calling for a change to allow new signing Marc Guéhi to play in the upcoming Carabao Cup final.
Guéhi, who joined City from Crystal Palace in January, is currently ineligible for the final against Arsenal on March 22. According to Carabao Cup regulations, players must be registered before the winter transfer window closes or before the first leg of the semi-final—whichever comes first. Since City’s 2-0 semi-final first-leg win over Newcastle occurred before Guéhi’s registration, he is barred from the competition.
Speaking after City’s 5-1 aggregate semi-final victory over Newcastle, Guardiola expressed frustration. “I don’t understand why he cannot play the final. You buy a player for a lot of money, and he is not able to play because of a rule I don’t understand,” Guardiola stated.
He confirmed the club would formally appeal to the EFL. “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final… We pay his salary, he is our player.”
Guardiola contrasted Guéhi’s situation with that of another January signing, Antoine Semenyo, who arrived from Bournemouth four days before the first leg and was eligible to play and score. He also noted that the EFL had already amended rules this season to remove traditional “cup-tying” restrictions, which allowed Semenyo and defender Max Alleyne to feature despite playing for other clubs earlier in the tournament.
When asked if he expected the appeal to succeed, Guardiola replied, “No. But we will try.”
The final is set for March 22 at Wembley Stadium.
