Pep Guardiola has spoken out against Israel for its actions in Palestine and has also criticised world leaders for failing to prevent the humanitarian crisis. The Manchester City boss’s strong statement comes ahead of a charity match to raise funds for aid.
Catalonia and Palestine are set to play at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on Tuesday evening. Promoted by ACT X Palestine, the event has gained support from various individuals across politics and sport, including Guardiola. 25,000 tickets have been sold already and all proceeds from the game will go towards the reconstruction of Gaza, which has been decimated since the start of the Israel-Palestine war.
Since the conflict began on October 7th 2023, when Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, Gaza’s health ministry estimates that over 69,000 Palestinians have been killed. The UN has also declared that Israel has committed genocide, accusations which it has denied.
Although United States President Donald Trump has attempted to end the war, with a ceasefire in place, there have been further calls to bar Israel from sporting competition. Over 70 athletes have signed a petition calling for UEFA to suspend the country, including former Manchester United star Paul Pogba. And the Republic of Ireland Football Association also called on European football’s governing body to ban Israel in November.
Guardiola Issues Support to Palestine
Ahead of the match between Catalonia and Palestine, Guardiola has spoken out about both the match and the war, defending its importance while pointing out a lack of action from high-ranking politicians. Per RAC1, he said: “It is a more than symbolic match. Nowadays, everything is known and with this confrontation, the Palestinians will see that there is a part of the world that thinks of them.
“The world has left Palestine alone. We have done absolutely nothing. They are not at fault for being born there. We have all allowed them to destroy an entire people. The damage is already done and it is irreparable.
“I can’t imagine a person in this world who could defend the massacres in Gaza. Our children could be there and be murdered just for being born there. I have very little faith in the leaders. They do whatever it takes to stay in power.”
He went on to say: “The symbolism helps to raise awareness, but behind it there has to be something that moves. There is always a reason to demonstrate, in this case it is a football match. It is symbolic, but it is better that the Palestinians can think that for a while we are there and that the stadium brings joy.”
It is not the only time that Guardiola has criticised Israel for the conflict in Gaza. In October this year, he lent his support to a pro-Gazan demonstration that took place in Barcelona, urging governments to act.
“We are witnessing a live genocide where thousands of children have already died and others may still die,” he said in a video. “The Gaza Strip is devastated, and a flood of people are walking without shelter, food, drinking water, or medicine. Only an organised urban civil society can save lives and pressure governments to take immediate action.
“On October 4 at 12 noon in Jardinets de Gracia, we will flood the streets to demand an end to the genocide.”
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