Manchester City’s Walker Receives Three Match UEFA Ban

Kyle Walker has been slapped with a three match Champions League ban after he was sent off in Manchester City’s final game of the Champions’ League group stage at RB Leipzig.

Walker received his marching orders following a stupid and petulant

kick at Andre Silva in December and automatically earned himself a one-match

ban. However, European football’s governing body have intervened to increase

the full-back’s ban to three matches, following a ruling which classed the challenge

as ‘assault.’

UEFA assess each disciplinary case had have determined that Walker’s actions against the German side, which City lost 2-1, should have been increased due to their regulations. Walker spoke last week of the sending off when he said, “My red card against Leipzig was very bad judgement and a stupid error that a 31-year-old shouldn’t be making with the amount of games that I’ve played,” while manager Pep Guardiola branded the dismissal as unnecessary and that he hopes Walker will learn from it.

The ruling comes as a huge blow for City’s Champions League hopes as Walker will now miss both legs of City’s last sixteen tie against Sporting Lisbon, and the first leg of the quarter-final, should the blues overcome the Portuguese side.

City have accepted the decision and do not plan to appeal.