Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has defended his decision to speak publicly about global conflicts, insisting he should not be silenced simply because he is a football manager.
The City boss faced criticism after expressing his emotional response to violence affecting civilians around the world, particularly in Palestine and Ukraine.
Some Jewish community leaders urged Guardiola to “focus on football” and warned him to be more careful with his language.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Guardiola refused to back down.
“Why should I not express what I feel, just because I am a manager?” he said at a news conference,” he said.
Guardiola added that he felt a responsibility to use his position to help build a better society. He said he condemns all conflicts equally and rejected the idea of prioritising one tragedy over another.
“What I said basically is, how many conflicts are there right now all around the world? How many? A lot — I condemn all of them.
“If innocent people are being killed, I condemn them all and not putting a selection on one being more important than the other,” Guardiola said
He also told reporters that if people did not understand his message, that was fine; he could not change it.
When asked whether he would now limit himself to talking only about football, Guardiola challenged the idea that professionals should only speak within their field.
“OK, you focus on being a journalist, and you cannot talk about the economy, because you are not an economic journalist.
“Being involved in football, don’t talk about that or that or that. That’s why the world remains silent. That is what the world wants, right? Be silent, don’t say anything,” he added.
Guardiola said he did not believe silence was the right approach, even if others disagreed with him.
His comments follow a recent speech at a charity event in Barcelona, where he spoke in support of Palestinian children. Ahead of City’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, he also described the emotional pain he feels when watching footage of children injured or killed in conflict zones, including those in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, and even cases involving US immigration agents.
Despite the backlash, Guardiola insisted he would continue to speak out on issues that matter to him.
PUNCH Online had reported that Guardiola had been criticised by Jewish community leaders for repeatedly commenting on international affairs, with the group saying the club is being “let down” by his public remarks.
