Witness tells story of Pep Guardiola being fired as kids’ referee during his time in New York | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest minds football has ever seen. His tactical awareness of the beautiful game is second to none, and the manner in which he has reinvented the way in which it's played is to be truly admired.

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To become as knowledgeable and as effective as the Spaniard, though, you essentially need to eat, sleep and breathe football, dedicating most of your life to the sport as you seek to learn as much as you can.

It's safe to say that the Manchester City manager has done exactly that over the years, diving into football as deep as anyone really can, and a recent story that surfaced online shows that he can't switch off from his managerial approach to the game, even after taking a year away from coaching following his departure from Barcelona in 2012.

It turns out he just couldn't help himself when he got involved with his son's U12 team, even offering tactical advice during a brief stint officiating a match for the team, resulting in him being forced to step down as a referee, halfway through the game.

Why was Pep Guardiola fired as a children's football referee?

After leaving Barcelona in 2012, Guardiola took a year out of football, moving to New York for 12 months before he eventually joined Bayern Munich in 2013, and according to one of his son, Marius', former teammates, Jules Shalhov, in a recent video that surfaced online, he regularly spent time watching their U12 football team play.

Having regularly attended the team's matches in Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side of New York, the City manager offered his officiating services after the original referee didn't show up to a game, and they were more than happy for him to step in and take on the role.

The video even shares very rare footage of the Spaniard refereeing the contest in a bright red coat, a sight that truly has to be seen to be believed.

Being a referee is a thankless job, and even the greatest refs in the world have struggled every once in a while. They'll never make everyone happy, and Guardiola was no different. Although, it kind of feels like it might have been his own fault here, as he angered the parents of the children involved.

Unable to switch off from his tactical nature, the now 52-year-old couldn't help himself, shouting advice to his son and the rest of the players, explaining why they needed to get into certain positions and what they should do to win, and it, quite understandably, began to tick off the parents.

At half-time, they angrily confronted Guardiola, calling his capability to officiate the game into dispute and questioning who he was to be telling their children what to do and where to go in the match, so the Spaniard offered to step down as referee for the second half, allowing someone else to step in and take over, which the parents were happy to accept.

Did the parents know it was Pep Guardiola?

In the video that was recently released, the parents weren't actually aware of who Guardiola was when they demanded he step down as referee, assuming he was just some know-it-all, biased parent. But as the game went on, more and more spectators began to realise that it was the former Barcelona manager, who'd just departed the Spanish club as the record-holder for winning the most titles as manager at the side.

As word spread, even the angry parents who'd earlier confronted the Spaniard came to realise who he was and his credentials, approaching him following the match's conclusion to apologise for their actions. As humble as he always has been, Guardiola was quick to accept any apologies and was even happy to take photos with as many of the children there that wanted to.

It's hard to imagine there were football fans in the world who wouldn't immediately recognise Guardiola, considering the incredible record he had at Barcelona in the four years prior, where he won an astonishing 14 trophies, but according to Shalhov, there were multiple games were the opposition team and their parents failed to recognise him. He was allowed to sit back and attend the matches as just a parent, and no one made a fuss about his presence there.

How invested was Pep Guardiola in his son's team?

For most kids, it's normal for their parents to take an interest in any extracurricular activities that they may have gotten involved in. Mums and dads loved to attend special events, offering their children the necessary support to help them succeed, but with careers and other obligations getting in the way, it could be difficult to truly invest your time into the situation, but according to Shalhov, that wasn't the case for Pep.

The 52-year-old was all in on the team apparently, attending every single game and even every single training session. He was so eager to get involved, that the team's coach even let him act as though he were an assistant coach, all too happy to take any pearls of wisdom he could from watching Guardiola's managerial style up close and personal.

Shortly after the incident, Pep returned to management, accepting a job with Bayern in Germany, and he spent three years with the Bundesliga giants, winning seven trophies with the club, before he once again moved on and joined English side Man City and the Premier League in the summer of 2016.

Following his move to England, Guardiola's status worldwide has risen tremendously, even in the eyes of the casual fan and after winning the Champions League with the Manchester club at the end of last season, he's now won as many trophies at the side as he did with Barcelona all those years ago.

As his status within the game, and his legacy expands, it's safe to say there likely won't be another incident in the future where Guardiola is ever afforded the opportunity to regularly attend a footballing event, regardless of the age range, and have the freedom to not be recognised and bombarded by the fans he's surrounded by.