'More than just a game': Man City manager on Catalonia-Palestine match
4 Min Read
The Catalonia–Palestine friendly aims to raise global awareness of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis while honoring hundreds of Palestinian athletes killed during the Israeli genocide.
-
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola waves to the fans after the Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Everton in Manchester, England, Saturday, October 18, 2025. (AP)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged fans to pack Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium next Tuesday for a highly anticipated friendly between the Catalonia and Palestine national teams, describing the match as “much more than a game.”
In a video posted on Instagram on Thursday, Guardiola, a native of Catalonia and former Barcelona captain, called the city “a city of peace,” underscoring the symbolic weight of hosting the encounter. He said the fixture serves both as a call for solidarity and a tribute to the more than 400 Palestinian athletes killed by "Israel" in Gaza since October 2023.
View this post on Instagram
“Barcelona, city of peace, hosts on Tuesday, November 18, the match between the Catalan National Team and the Palestinian National Team at the Olympic Stadium,” he said. “It is much more than a game; it is a cry for solidarity, a tribute to the more than 400 Palestinian athletes who have been murdered in Gaza. Let’s fill the stadium!”
The match, organized to promote unity and raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, is expected to draw thousands. Sports bodies and local officials have framed the event as an example of how football can be leveraged to advocate for peace, dignity, and international justice.
The game comes months after Spain, alongside Ireland and Norway, formally recognized the State of Palestine, a diplomatic shift Madrid called a “historic step” toward accountability and stability in the region.
According to the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestine Football Association, roughly 400 athletes have been killed by "Israel" between October 7, 2023, and July 2025, including 245 footballers; among them were 69 children and 176 young men.
Irish Football Association urges UEFA to ban 'Israel' from competitions
In a related context, members of the Football Association of Ireland agreed last week to a motion directing the board to formally request that UEFA suspend the Israeli Football Association from its competitions, a source who attended the meeting said.
According to the source, the decision is based on accusations against the Israeli Football Association of committing two serious breaches of UEFA regulations: The first being the failure to implement an effective anti-racism policy, and the second being the organization of clubs within the occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.
The Irish decision marks the first official move by a European national association calling for punitive measures against the Israeli Football Association, at a time when criticism of "Israel" is mounting in both sports circles and the international community over its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Wider context
In September 2025, Amnesty International issued a direct appeal to both FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli Football Association unless it excluded clubs operating in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank. The organization emphasized that "Israel’s" continued violations of international law should not be legitimized through sporting participation, pointing specifically to the operation of clubs on occupied Palestinian land without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.
In the same month, UN human rights experts echoed the call, urging "Israel’s" suspension from international football bodies. The United Nations’ special rapporteurs cited the scale of civilian suffering in Gaza and the impunity of the Israeli regime as grounds for immediate action, warning that football institutions risk becoming complicit if they remain silent or inactive in the face of such violations.
On August 20, 2025, the Italian Coaches' Association formally called on both FIFA and UEFA to suspend "Israel" from international football tournaments, citing the Israeli war on Gaza.
Earlier this October, fans of Celtic FC made headlines when the Green Brigade displayed a bold banner accusing UEFA of being “complicit in genocide” during a Europa League match. The statement came during ongoing protests against "Israel's" war on Gaza and reflected the growing readiness of football supporters to challenge European institutions over their perceived neutrality in the face of human rights violations.
