Pep Guardiola could face the prospect of a three-match touchline ban after the Manchester City manager was charged with improper conduct by Uefa following his sending off at half-time of his team’s Champions League quarter-final exit to Liverpool.

The City manager will receive an automatic one-match touchline ban from Uefa for being dismissed but the punishment could be extended to include a further two games in the stands if he is found to have verbally abused or insulted referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

Spanish TV station, Antena 3, have alleged that Guardiola shouted at Lahoz: "That was a penalty, watch it on the tele. That was a goal and a penalty. Shut your mouth. That was a goal and a penalty".

Uefa’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body are due to hear the case on May 31 with Guardiola facing the threat of having to watch half of City’s six Champions League group stage games next season from the stands.

Guardiola remonstrated angrily with Lahoz at the end of the first half over the Spanish official’s decision to incorrectly rule out a goal by Leroy Sane for offside with City leading 1-0.

He was then forced to watch the second period from a seat in the stands next to his trusted adviser and confidante, Manel Estiarte, after being sent off by Lahoz for his outburst. Guardiola was also charged by Uefa with breaching rules that prevents managers who have been sent off from communicating with their bench amid suggestions he relayed instructions to staff during the second half.

Carles Planchart, City’s performance analyst, was spotted on television at the top of the steps a short distance behind where Guardiola was sat shortly after the hour mark and the manager appeared to shout something in his colleague’s direction. Soon after, in the 66thminute, Sergio Aguero came on as a substitute.

Guardiola should discover in the next day or two if he is likely to face a disciplinary hearing credit: Getty Images

If found guilty of flouting those communication rules, Guardiola is likely to escape with a warning.

Uefa are thought to have reviewed the match report from Lahoz and Bernd Barutta, the Uefa delegate from Germany, on Wednesday before deciding to charge Guardiola.

Guardiola insisted after City’s 2-1 loss and 5-1 aggregate defeat, that he did not “insult” Lahoz and that he had been “polite” when confronting the referee but his face was contorted with anger as he ripped into the Spaniard.

Uefa’s Controls, Ethics and Disciplinary Body are not due to meet again until May 31.

Guardiola had harboured concerns about Lahoz before the game and admitted he had warned his players about the official. The City manager was aggrieved Lahoz failed to award Sergio Aguero a penalty in the first leg of his team’s 5-3 Round of 16 win against Monaco last season and instead booked the Argentina striker for diving. City lost the second leg 3-1 and exited on away goals.

Speaking about Lahoz last night (TUES), Guardiola said: “I said it was goal, I didn’t insult him,” Guardiola said. “I was polite, I was correct, but Mateu Lahoz is a special guy, he likes to be different, he likes to be special. “I know what happened in Monaco last season so he is a referee whenever people see the things, he will see the opposite. It’s too much to send me off because I didn’t say any wrong words.

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"I just said, ‘It's a goal, the ball came off (James) Milner. He said, 'Oh the pass came from Milner?' "And I said, ‘Yes, it came from Milner. It is not offside.’ If we go to 2-0 against that side it is a little bit different. "The first goal from [Mo] Salah in the second half made us change the way we played and we were tired. But I know him (Lahoz) from Spain so I could imagine that. "We spoke about that. We know him. The players felt it. But please, Liverpool deserved to go through.”