Pep Guardiola sends warning to broadcasters as he threatens protest at ‘unacceptable’ scheduling of Man City’s FA Cup semi-final… after he accused BBC of risking health of his stars in stunning rant on live TV

Pep Guardiola suggested he could refuse ‘extra’ requests from broadcasters after unleashing an extraordinary tirade following Manchester City’s win at Wembley.

Bernardo Silva’s late winner against Chelsea ensured the defending FA Cup champions reached the final next month, where they would face rivals Manchester United or Coventry City.

But Guardiola was outraged afterwards and took aim at broadcasters and authorities, claiming they were damaging players’ health and that he was powerless to force change.

Guardiola was furious about the 66-hour gap between Wednesday’s Champions League exit by Real Madrid and this semi-final against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea.

During his post-match press conference, he claimed that he is not allowed to participate in activities with broadcasters given their busy schedule.

The City boss thinks it is ‘not normal’ and ‘unacceptable’ that his team played on Saturday

Despite Guardiola’s concerns, Bernardo Silva helped City book a place in the FA Cup final

He said: ‘For broadcasters [shrugs]. Don’t ask me to do any extra stuff after that, because we’re not going to do that.’

Immediately after the match, Guardiola delivered an impassioned tirade during BBC coverage, labeling the match planning as ‘unacceptable’.

“It’s unacceptable,” the city boss said. ‘Because I won, I have the courage to tell you. It is not normal for the health of the players. I don’t understand how we survived today.

‘Why play today and not tomorrow when Coventry, Chelsea and United didn’t play last week?

‘Why not one more day for the health of the players? Tell me how you are preparing for this final against Chelsea for the best moment of the season. How? It’s impossible. There’s no chance.’

Guardiola added sarcastically: “To be honest, I know that this country is special for many things.”

Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri both appeared physically shot and Guardiola – who has been persistent in his complaints about the calendar – is now giving his players two days off.

The 53-year-old accepts he cannot bring about change and believes the Premier League, FA, UEFA and FIFA are refusing to listen to managers about their concerns about player welfare.

“Do you think our demands will change anything?” he said. “The only power I have is to say it here. It’s not going to change anything. I know.

Rodri was one of the players who seemed particularly affected by the recent exploits

Guardiola insisted the FA must take the ‘health of the players’ into account for the fixture list

City were taken to a penalty shoot-out – which they lost – against Real Madrid on Wednesday

‘I am right. It’s common sense. I’m not asking for any special privilege. I don’t want any more meetings. I’m not going because I have matches every three days and so don’t have time to attend meetings. Whatever they decide, we will do.

‘I remember the same thing happened two years ago: on Wednesday we played in Dortmund, we traveled, played [a semi-final] We made a lot of changes against Liverpool on Saturday, trailing 3-0 at half time. They destroyed us.”

Despite City being nowhere near the best, Guardiola praised his side for the mentality to overcome the heartache of their European exit and stage a third FA Cup final during his tenure.

“Some players have made an incredible effort,” he said. ‘What they did today is one of the best things I’ve seen from a group of players after 120 minutes against Real. You can’t prepare anything at all, four hours to get here and then play the game in these conditions.

‘We are very happy, we have shown who we are again. When we play the (expanded) Champions League next season, it will be the same week as the Carabao Cup. How are we going to play?

Guardiola will face either Coventry or Man United in his bid to win the FA Cup for a third time

‘Will we play the Elite Development Squad in the Carabao Cup? After next season we go to the Club World Cup. We are incredibly happy, lots of money, incredibly prestigious. But how many days off do I give to the players? Two weeks off and starting the season again. It’s unsustainable.’

Pochettino, whose side could have taken the match away from City before Silva’s eventual winner, admitted Chelsea were not clever enough in either penalty area.

“It’s so easy to explain,” he said. ‘We immediately agreed that you shouldn’t give in. We weren’t able to be clinical in front of goal, we had a lot of chances but didn’t score.

“I think in the game we were a bit better and deserved more but it’s not about earning it, it’s about being clinical and we weren’t that today.”