FIFA extend Rico Lewis’ Manchester City ban at Club World Cup | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Rico Lewis will be banned for a further two matches at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup, a committee has ruled.

The 20-year-old was handed a straight red card during the closing exchanges of Manchester City’s opening game against Moroccan side Wydad AC, after referee Ramon Abatti adjudged Lewis to have endangered the safety of opponent Samuel Obeng.

Despite the protests of Lewis and Manchester City, as well as head coach Pep Guardiola, the video assistant referee upheld the decision on the field and the right-back was forced to walk from his opening appearance at this summer’s tournament.

Thankfully when it came to the overall context of the result, Manchester City continued to cruise to victory as a result of Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku’s first-half strikes, earning all three points in Philadelphia.

Speaking after the game, Pep Guardiola said of the incident, “He [Rico Lewis] got the ball, both feet on the grass.

“He [referee Ramon Abatti] said, ‘No, the feet and leg was high’, but it’s on the grass! It’s natural! Rico never had absolutely any intention, but it doesn’t matter, it is what it is.”

However, having already been suspended for Manchester City’s following 6-0 win over Al Ain in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday night, Guardiola will be without Rico Lewis for an extended period of time after a follow-up review from FIFA.

As confirmed by The Times’ Paul Hirst, among others, Manchester City defender Rico Lewis has been handed an additional two-match ban by FIFA after a disciplinary committee ruled his red card tackle on Wydad AC’s Samuel Obeng as ‘serious foul play’.

As such, the right-back will now be banned for Manchester City’s matchday three group stage clash with Juventus in Orlando, Florida as well as the following last-16 tie – which is still to be confirmed.

Additional reporting from MailSport’s Jack Gaughan has also revealed that City were unsuccessful when appealing the extension of the defender’s suspension.

Pep Guardiola and his players currently know that they require a win against Juventus on Thursday night in order to secure top spot, and subsequently play second place in a group currently being battled out by the likes of Real Madrid, RB Salzburg, and Al-Hilal.

In the absence of Rico Lewis, Manchester City are likely to continue with Matheus Nunes as their go-to right-back solution, but may utilise a three-man central defensive set-up to further bolster their rearguard moving forward.

Against Al Ain, that unit saw Rayan Ait-Nouri occupy the left wing-back role, with Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, and Abdukodir Khusanov in the centre of defence, with the aforementioned Portuguese international rounding up the selection.