(CNN) -- Even after apologizing for criticizing a referee, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini wasn't let off the hook by UEFA. Pellegrini was banned for three games by football's European governing body, a decision which rules him out of the second leg of City's Champions League round-of-16 encounter at Barcelona on March 12. "Pellegrini may follow the game from the stands only; he may not enter the dressing room, tunnel or technical area before or during the match; and he may not communicate directly or indirectly with his players and/or technical staff during the game," UEFA said on its website.
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Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini receives a three-game ban from UEFA
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Pellegrini criticized the Swedish referee after his team lost 2-0 to Barcelona earlier this month
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Unless he wins an appeal, Pellegrini misses the return leg in Barcelona on March 12
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City meets lowly Sunderland in England's League Cup final Sunday
Manuel Pellegrini
Pellegrini
Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini
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Pellegrini
He is on "probation" for two years for one of the matches, with @placeholder having the right to appeal Friday's ruling.
Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona
"I think it was not a good idea to put a referee from Sweden in charge of such an important match, especially a referee who has made an important mistake against @placeholder in a previous match," he told reporters.
UEFA
UEFA
UEFA
"I am sure this is a good referee because UEFA are always evaluating all the referees and if he is not a good referee, he is not in the @placeholder staff."