Manchester City have been told no over proposed rule changes after requesting an exception to be made and for Marc Guehi to be able to play in the EFL Carabao Cup final.
The Cityzens made it through to the last two following their 3-1 win against Newcastle United in the decisive tie at the Etihad Stadium, beating the North East side 5-1 on aggregate over the course of the two-legged semis.
However, Man City have now reportedly had their appeal rejected, with the EFL stating definitively that Marc Guehi will not be playing in the final.
With Pep Guardiola’s squad having suffered a number of injuries across their backline of late, it goes without saying that they could do with as many available defenders as possible.
BREAKING: The EFL will not change its rules to allow Marc Guehi to play for Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QFw5KIiaNz
As confirmed by Sky Sports and other sources, the governing body for the wider English pyramid has stated clearly that Guehi will be ineligible for selection by City in the final.
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Put simply, this is because Guehi – having just joined the club this January transfer window – is already cup-tied, after playing for his former employers, Crystal Palace, in previous rounds of the Carabao Cup.
While most new signings have previously been able to represent their new side in the same competition after leaving their old team, in this case, the domestic knockout tournament has already progressed too far, basically.
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Since there is just one last fixture to play before we find out the winner, one of Man City or Arsenal is crowned champions for 2026, the EFL have insisted that Guehi can’t play in the final.
Following manager Guardiola’s comments after the win on Wednesday night, in which he said he would ask for the rules to be amended, Sky gave a quick explainer to those left confused.
As broadcaster Mark Chapman mentioned, this just so happens to be the first year that this particular scenario has occurred in the event’s 86-year history.
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Pep made it apparent that he doesn’t agree with the stipulation and that the England international will be unable to play “because of a rule that I don’t understand”; many supporters, be they Blue or otherwise, argue that changing regulations is simply ‘common sense’.
Nevertheless, it looks like the EFL are sticking with it, and come the EFL Cup final at Wembley from 4:30pm on Sunday, 22 March, Guehi will have to settle for watching from the stands against their current title rivals on two fronts.
What do you make of the debate?
You can see his Pep’s most recent post-match press conference in full here.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
5th February 2026 
