Rico Lewis will serve a three-match suspension after Fifa's disciplinary panel deemed his late challenge on a Wydad Casablanca player constituted serious misconduct.
The City academy product saw red with two minutes remaining in City's 2-0 victory over the Moroccan outfit in Philadelphia last Wednesday. What began as a standard one-game punishment has escalated following the governing body's intervention.
Lewis already sat out Monday's comprehensive 6-0 demolition of Al Ain in Atlanta. The England defender now faces two additional matches on the sidelines after City's appeal was rejected by Fifa officials.
The somewhat bizarre extended punishment rules him out of Thursday's encounter with Juventus and the subsequent last-16 fixture. Pep Guardiola's squad has already secured their progression from the group phase, having claimed maximum points from their opening two fixtures.
His absence comes at an inopportune moment as City navigate their Club World Cup campaign.
Fifa's disciplinary committee examined video footage of the incident before concluding the challenge warranted the "serious foul play" classification. This designation automatically triggers the extended suspension, regardless of the initial referee's assessment.
City attempted to overturn the additional sanctions through the formal appeals process but were told the original decision would stand. Lewis must now wait until after the first knockout round before returning to action in the competition. Hopefully City will still be in it!
City's comfortable group stage performances suggest they can cope without the young defender as they pursue their first Club World Cup triumph. City have looked impressive in their two matches to date, scoring eight goals whilst conceding none.