AS THE coach whose tactics revolutionised football, Pep Guardiola has little regard for convention.

So any notion that politics should be distinct from sports is alien to the Manchester City manager, who is incensed by the treatment of the Catalan independence movement. It’s why a yellow ribbon has been attached to Guardiola’s clothing on the touchline and in media appearances since the region’s thwarted attempt in October to split from Spain.

Guardiola is a Catalan sporting icon, a status achieved by transforming Barcelona’s football team into a revered, all-conquering trophy machine during a 2008-12 managerial reign that become synonymous with quick-passing tiki-taka tactics.