Pep Guardiola says he wants to use his position to “speak up to be a better society” as he talked at a football news conference about the “hurt” he feels for victims of global conflict.
The Manchester City manager missed media duties last Friday, a day after speaking in support of Palestinian children at a charity concert in his home city of Barcelona.
And speaking ahead of City’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle on Wednesday, Guardiola spoke passionately about children being killed and injured in conflict zones across the world, saying the footage he sees “hurts me”.
He referenced conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and even recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the United States.
“Today we can see it, before we could not see it,” said Guardiola. “It hurts me. If it was the opposite side, it would hurt me. I’m sorry, I will stand up, always I will be there. Always. Completely kill thousands of innocent people? It hurts me. It’s no more complicated than that. No more.
“I cannot imagine how anybody cannot feel that, when you see the images every single day, the fathers, mothers, kids, having what happened, their lives being destroyed and the people cannot feel a little bit of being attached? I’m sorry, I cannot feel it.”
Asked by the Athletic why these subjects matter so much to him, Guardiola replied: “I appreciate it because it’s the first time in 10 years that one journalist asks me about that.
“It looks like you [the media] are not allowed to do it for your work, I don’t know.
“But there is somebody who sees the images from all around the world – the wars – who is not affected? It’s not a question about right or wrong.”
Conflicts ‘our problems as human beings’
Guardiola began talking about the global issues without being asked about them – the initial question was on Phil Foden’s recent form before a follow-up one on injustices felt by his players at the hands of match officials following Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
Guardiola refused to blame the referee saying the reason they play good or bad “belongs to us”, while decisions are about “images” not “interpretation”.
The Spaniard then referenced global conflicts by saying: “Never, ever in the history of humanity have we had the information in front of our eyes watching more clearly than now – genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, what happened in Russia, what happened all around the world – in Sudan, everywhere.
“What happened in front of us? Do you want to see it? It’s our problems as human beings. It’s our problems.”
Israel was accused of committing genocide against Palestianians in a United Nations report last year, though Israel strongly rejected the claim. It was recently reported that Israeli officials accepted there had been 70,000 war dead.
‘Don’t ask if right or wrong, rescue him’ – Guardiola on small boats
On Monday, BBC News reported figures from the Home Office stating a total of 933 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats in January.
Guardiola said: “The people who have to do that, run away from their countries, go in the sea and then go on a boat to get rescued – don’t ask if he is right or wrong, rescue him. It is about a human being.
“After we can agree, criticise but everyone is right, everyone has an idea and you have to express it. People are dying, you have to help him. Protecting the human being and human life is the only thing we have.”
Last month, two US citizens were shot dead by federal agents carrying out US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis over the past month.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) says it is “extremely concerned by the ongoing militarisation of police forces in the US” before this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Guardiola added: “When I see the images, I am sorry it hurts. That is why in every position I can help speak up to be a better society, I will try and will be there. All the time. It is for my kids, my families, for you.
“From my point of view, the justice? You have to talk. Otherwise it will just move on. Look what happened in the United States of America, Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been killed. Tell me how you can defend that?
“There is not a perfect society, nowhere is perfect, I am not perfect, we have to work to be better.”
Discussion about this post