Pep Guardiola has urged the English Football League to amend its regulations to allow Manchester City defender Marc Guéhi to feature in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.
Guéhi is currently ineligible for the Wembley showdown on March 22 after completing a move from Crystal Palace following City’s 2–0 win over Newcastle in the first leg of the semi-final.
According to a BBC report on Thursday, Carabao Cup rules stipulate that players must be registered before the winter transfer window closes or prior to the first leg of the semi-final—whichever comes first—to be eligible for the competition.
As a result, the England international missed both legs of City’s 5–1 aggregate victory over Newcastle and is also set to sit out the final.
Speaking after Wednesday’s second-leg win, Guardiola questioned the reasoning behind the regulation and confirmed the club would appeal to the EFL over Guéhi’s eligibility.
“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final,” Guardiola said.
“I don’t understand why he cannot play. You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play because of a rule I don’t understand.”
City’s other January signing, Antoine Semenyo, was eligible for the semi-final after arriving from Bournemouth four days before the first leg and went on to score in the match.
“Antoine arrived before the first game so he could play,” Guardiola added. “Now it’s the final—why should Marc not play? We pay his salary, he is our player.”
Guardiola also referenced a recent rule change that removed traditional cup-tying restrictions, allowing players to represent multiple clubs in the competition. That amendment enabled both Semenyo and defender Max Alleyne to appear in the semi-finals despite having previously played for Bournemouth and Watford earlier in the tournament.
When asked if he expected the EFL to approve City’s request, Guardiola admitted he was pessimistic but confirmed the club would still pursue the matter.
“No,” he said. “But we will try.”