Pep Guardiola confirms Catalan police searched his private jet for exiled leader Carles Puigdemont
Man City boss was charged by the FA for continuing to wear a yellow ribbon on the touchline
PEP GUARDIOLA has confirmed police searched his private jet to see if he was smuggling exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont into Barcelona.
Guardiola has been charged by the FA for continuing to wear a yellow ribbon on the touchline.
The Manchester City boss has carried the item on his clothing since the autumn in support of imprisoned politicians in his native Catalonia.
Asked at a press conference if a jet carrying his family was searched after it landed at Barcelona-El Prat airport last week, Guardiola confirmed it was.
He said: "The police do their job, they have the right to do it.
"My family saw it, they saw the police searching the plane, and that's it."
The FA has charged Guardiola for 'wearing a political message, specifically a yellow ribbon'.
They say they spoke to Guardiola over the matter in mid-December and have twice warned him he was breaching their kit and advertising rules.
But when he wore it in the dug-out for the defeat at Wigan on Monday, the charge was triggered.
Pep must now decide whether he wears it for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley on Sunday - knowing it will probably result in a fine if he does.
Given that he has ignored two warning and continued to display the ribbon, the proud Catalonian is expected to do so.
And if he continues to defy the FA in the coming weeks then there is a possibility of a touchline ban for the Etihad chief.He has until Monday, March 5 to respond to the charge.
Guardiola has spoken publicly before about his backing of two key members of the Catalan independence movement.
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They have been held without bail since holding an independence vote, which the Spanish government in Madrid declared to be illegal.
Guardiola said in November: "If one day in prison was already too much, look how many days they've been there now.
"Like everybody knows, hopefully sooner or later I can stop wearing it.
"All the politicians that are in prison, I hope they can leave and go back home soon with their families and continue living the lives they deserve."
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho questioned why the City boss was allowed to wear the ribbon back in December.