The Football Association has explained that Pep Guardiola was fined for repeatedly wearing a yellow ribbon on the sidelines because it was seen as an "act of defiance," according to a written explanation.
On March 9, the Manchester City manager was fined £20,000 and warned about his future conduct for wearing "a political symbol" in breach of FA rules on kit and advertising.
Guardiola has worn the ribbon during games in a show of support for two members of the Catalan government who were imprisoned in October.
In its written reasons for the decision, the FA had issued "numerous warning letters" to Guardiola for wearing the ribbon.
They decided to charge him after Guardiola wore it again during City's FA Cup fifth-round defeat to League One side Wigan Athletic on Feb. 19.
He admitted the charge but argued that he had "inadvertently displayed the yellow ribbon when he unzipped his jacket".
However, the FA statement said: "The Commission considered but did not accept Mr Guardiola's explanation that he had mistakenly wore the yellow ribbon in the aforementioned fixture. Rather his actions were considered an act of defiance against the backdrop of repeated warnings. This is an aggravating factor in this case."
Guardiola has said he will not wear the ribbon pitchside but will continue to display it for pre- and postmatch activities, as he did on Monday during City's 2-0 win away to Stoke.
He will also continue to wear it for Champions League matches as it does not breach UEFA rules.
The City boss was not the only called out by the FA, which also published its written reasons for fining City £50,000 for failing to control their players in the Wigan fixture at the DW Stadium.
A number of players, including David Silva and Sergio Aguero, were found to have acted inappropriately following Fabian Delph's sending off in the latter stages of the first half.
The governing body noted it was "extremely concerned about the recent frequency of breaches by the club'' considering it was the third such charge since December 2016 after incidents against Chelsea and Liverpool.
In mitigation, City admitted the charge as soon as possible and promised to take steps to ensure better behaviour.