Pep Guardiola has refused to condemn his Manchester City players and staff after a group of them including Jack Grealish were spotted being turned away from a bar while on a night out in Manchester
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Jack Grealish led away from club
Pep Guardiola has defended his Manchester City players – in particular Jack Grealish – after they were filmed on a night out in Manchester.
The group of Grealish, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez were filmed being turned away from Albert’s Schloss, a bar in the centre of Manchester.
The video was uploaded with the suggestion Grealish – who looked unsteady on his feet and was being chaperoned by a City staff member – was refused entry because he was drunk, a claim refuted by City.
City insisted the group of City players, which also included their friends, decided not to enter the bar because it was too busy at the front and they were unable to use a side entrance.
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The group decided to go elsewhere for a meal, with the incident filmed before 8pm, while the players were under no curfew.
City boss Guardiola made light of the episode, when asked if he was angered by it, and said: “A lot, I am so upset because they didn’t invite me and I didn’t like it.
“Next time, hopefully they can invite me. The video didn’t show exactly what happened.
“They had dinner together, sober, enjoying with their mates and backroom staff. The players know the risk when they go out because of social media but all of them – Riyad, Kyle, Ally [Marland, kit man], Jack were perfect.
“But they will be fined because they didn’t invite me!”
Asked if he felt his players had been unfairly treated, Guardiola said: “In this case, yeah.”
Grealish was dropped, along with Phil Foden, less than two months ago, for not turning up to a recovery session in the right condition, according to Guardiola.
Staff members at the Etihad were left unimpressed by the duo’s conduct and the Spaniard confessed he paid notable attention to how his players handled themselves off the pitch.
“I decided this team because they deserved to play — these guys and not the other ones,” Guardiola said at the time
“At Christmas time I pay a lot of attention to behaviour on and off the pitch. And when (behaviour) off the pitch is not proper, they are not going to play.
“So we have to be focused all the time because of distractions at Christmas time and everything that happens — you still have to be focused.”
City’s next game is against Brentford at home on Wednesday night.
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