Published 12:30 IST, October 19th 2020
Guardiola's incident with female official re-emerges after Aguero catches hold of Ellis
Guardiola's infamous incident involving a female official in Germany has resurfaced after Aguero put his arms around Sian-Massey Ellis during the Arsenal game.
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Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero returned to action after three months in the game against Arsenal this past weekend. The Argentine hitman's return was marked with a little bit of controversy after he put his hand around assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis following a decision to allow Arsenal a throw-in in the first half. The incident has brought to light an old incident involving manager Pep Guardiola during his time with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Sergio Aguero slammed for behaviour with female official
Sian Massey-Ellis awarded a throw-in to Arsenal in the first half, which seemingly infuriated Aguero, who returned from a long spell after an injury. The Argentina international went on to grab the assistant referee by her shoulder, visibly venting out his frustration at the decision.
Think Aguero should be spoken to about this, it’s demeaning & not acceptable.pic.twitter.com/EDFYHWhsSm
— Hari Sethi (@Hari_Sethi) October 17, 2020
However, referee Chris Kavanagh did not note down the incident in his match report. No action, therefore, will be taken against the 33-year-old Man City legend. Aguero was on the receiving end of criticism after the incident came to light but Guardiola played down the same after his side's narrow win over the Gunners.
Guardiola comes to Aguero's rescue, fans recall manager's incident
Speaking to the media after the game, Guardiola urged people to look for problems in other situations and not in this scenario. He also went on to describe the club's all-time leading goalscorer as "the nicest person" he has ever come across. However, the incident has fueled another controversy involving the Man City manager.
This from Aguero is red card and 3 games ban.
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) October 18, 2020
No discussions.
By football law.
An official can’t be grabbed, and even worse if it is in this patronising way.
The fact the official in question is a woman makes the act even more distasteful https://t.co/LGT2VZDBpf
Back in 2014, Guardiola was involved in a similar incident while at the helm at the Allianz Arena. The Catalan manager ended up confronting referee Bibiana Steinhaus during a game and went on to force her to shake his hand and tapped her on her arm. He returned again to put his arm around the referee, forcing her to ask the manager to take his hands off.
Man City to play Porto in Champions League next
Amid the controversy, Man City managed a narrow 1-0 victory against Arsenal at the Etihad. Raheem Sterling netted in the 23rd minute to dust off the disappointment of the 1-1 draw against Leeds United before the international break. Man City will next come up against Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 21.
Also Read | Sergio Aguero could miss 2 months of the new season, Guardiola confirms ahead of PL opener
Image courtesy: Sergio Aguero, Man City Twitter
12:30 IST, October 19th 2020