EFL plans Guardiola meeting after Carabao Cup match-ball criticism

The EFL plans to talk to Pep Guardiola following his criticism of the match ball used in Manchester City's penalty shoot-out victory over Wolves on Tuesday.

City failed to find the net in 120 minutes of the fourth-round Carabao Cup clash at the Etihad Stadium before heroics from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo enabled them to triumph 4-1 on penalties.

Guardiola was critical of the Mitre ball, which is usually used in Football League matches, saying it was "unacceptable for high-level competition", while Yaya Toure backed up his coach's comments by declaring it "rubbish".

An official statement EFL statement read: "The Mitre ball used... is of exactly the same technical specification as the balls used in the EFL and [EFL] Trophy, all of which are tested in accordance with the 'FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs' and meet the 'FIFA Quality Pro' standard.

"Clearly, preference is a subjective matter, but overall the entertainment provided across [Tuesday's] round-four ties would suggest that the ball used is not having a negative impact in the competition.

"We will look to engage with Mr Guardiola and Manchester City to fully understand any concerns in advance of their round-five tie."

UCJ, UNILORIN.