Pep Guardiola, Manchester City head coach.placeholder image
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City head coach. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle United: January signing Marc Guehi was banned from playing in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final.
City progressed to the Carabao Cup final with a 3-1 win over the holders at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, securing a 5-1 win on aggregate.
But they did it without January signing Guehi, who was ineligible to feature in the match due to EFL rules after joining from Crystal Palace last month.
Although a rule change introduced this season allowed January signing Antoine Semenyo to play in both legs of the semi-final against Newcastle, scoring in the first, Guehi was not.
For the start of the 2025/26 season, the rules changed to state: “A player that has played for one Club in the Qualifying Competition and/or the Competition Proper may play for a maximum of one other Club in the Competition Proper (but may only play for a maximum of one Club in any given round of the Competition).”
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EFL rules ban Man City new signing from playing in Carabao Cup
While the initial part of the rules mentioned above suggests Guehi would be allowed to play, the fact that he was signed after the first leg of the semi-final tie puts him in the unique situation of being the only cup-tied player in this season’s Carabao Cup.
EFL rules add: “A Registered Player shall be permitted to play for up to two clubs in the competition in any one season where such player moved to a different club on a permanent transfer prior to the closure of the Winter Transfer Window, or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner).”
As Guehi moved after the first-leg of the semi-final, he is ineligible to feature for Manchester City in the Carabao Cup this season.
Pep Guardiola calls for rule change ahead of Carabao Cup final
Despite his side benefiting from the rule change by being allowed to play Semenyo in the semi-final, Guardiola stated after the match that he wants Man City to get in touch with the EFL to allow Guehi to play in the final against Arsenal on March 22.
"Hopefully we can arrive with players fit and hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc [Guehi] can play in the final because it's difficult to understand. The club made a big investment to take one player.
"He belongs to us and I don't understand why he cannot play the final.
"Hopefully we make a letter and hopefully the Carabao Cup or whatever can understand that when you buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule, I don't understand why.
"Hopefully they can change it."
But when asked if he thinks the EFL will make a dramatic U-turn and allow Guehi to play in the final, Guardiola shook his head and said: “No.”
Newcastle were blocked from playing both Martin Dubravka and Anthony Gordon in the 2023 Carabao Cup final against Manchester United due to both players representing other clubs in earlier rounds in the competition. Dubravka played for Manchester United during his loan spell while Gordon featured for Everton before joining Newcastle for £45million in the January transfer window ahead of the final.
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