The European governing body announced the opening of proceedings against the Manchester City manager on Friday evening, hours after he had used a press conference to backtrack on his comments following their 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
UEFA statement: "Following an investigation by the UEFA disciplinary inspector, UEFA has today opened disciplinary proceedings against Manuel Luis Pellegrini concerning the press interviews given to media after the above-mentioned match.
"The Manchester City FC head coach is charged for violation of the general principles of conduct (Art.11 of the 2013 UEFA disciplinary regulations).
"The case will be dealt with by the UEFA control and disciplinary body on Friday 28 February."