Pep Guardiola continues to commit. A few months after supporting Gaza and attending a friendly match for peace between the Palestinian national team and the Catalan selection, the Manchester City coach detailed at length his concerns about the ongoing conflicts in the world on Tuesday.
Questioned at a press conference by a journalist about his participation in a charity concert organized in Barcelona last week in support of Palestine, the 55-year-old technician was angry against the general indifference to the suffering of millions of victims of wars around the world.
“Killing thousands of innocent people? It hurts me »
“I appreciate being asked this question for the first time in ten years,” he said during a press briefing planned on the sidelines of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle. “It seems like you (the media) don’t have the right to do that as part of your job, I don’t know. But is there anyone who sees these images from around the world – the wars – and remains unmoved? It is not a question of whether one is right or wrong. »
Citing “the genocide in Palestine, what is happening in Ukraine, in Russia, in Sudan, everywhere in the world,” Guardiola questioned his audience during a fiery five-minute speech. “Never, never in the history of humanity have we had access to so much information (…) All of this is happening in front of us. Do we want to open our eyes? This is our problem as human beings. »
For the boss of Citizens, increasingly involved in politics this season, it is inconceivable to “remain insensitive when we see these images every day, these fathers, these mothers, these children, these broken lives, without anyone feeling the slightest compassion? “. “It hurts me,” he continued. “If it was the other side, it would hurt me too. I’m sorry, I’ll get up, I’ll still be here. Always. Kill thousands of innocent people? It hurts me. It’s that simple. That’s all. »
“How can anyone defend such a thing? »
Beyond global conflicts, Guardiola also had a word for migrants “who are forced to flee their country, take to the sea and join a boat to be rescued”. “Don’t ask yourself if they are right or wrong, save them,” he urged. “It’s about a human being. Afterwards, we can agree, criticize, but everyone has the right to their opinion and it must be expressed. People are dying, we have to help them. Protecting human beings and human life is all we have. »
Finally, the man with 3 Champions Leagues as a coach spoke about the violent excesses of ICE, the armed wing of the anti-migrant policy led by Donald Trump in the United States. “Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed. One of them was a nurse – imagine the NHS (the British public health system) – five or six people around him, lying on the grass, ten shots fired. How can anyone defend such a thing? », he asked himself before concluding his monologue with a note of hope.
“We must work for a better world. This is why, at every opportunity, I will speak out to contribute to a better society and I will always be present,” he assured.
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