Pep Guardiola condemns Gaza suffering in emotional speech
2 Min Read
The Manchester City manager drew poignant parallels between the war's youngest victims and his own children.
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Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola looks on ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Manchester City at Craven Cottage, London, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola delivered a heartfelt plea for peace on Monday as he accepted an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester, using the platform to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The decorated football coach, visibly moved during his address, spoke of the profound pain caused by the conflict. "It's so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts my whole body," Guardiola said in portions of his speech circulated online.
While receiving an honorary degree from the University of #Manchester, Pep Guardiola, a renowned football coach, spoke out about #Gaza and the thousands of Palestinian children killed by the Israeli occupation.#Guardiola later shared a short anecdote, talking about the big… pic.twitter.com/kVhohg6wBA
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 10, 2025
Striking a humanitarian rather than political tone, he stated, "Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour."
Guardiola drew poignant parallels between the war's youngest victims and his own children.
"Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore, it's not our business," he reflected. "But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four or five-year-old kids will be ours."
This isn't the first time the 54-year-old Spaniard has voiced political convictions. Guardiola has previously been vocal in his support for Catalan independence movements.
The University honored him not just for his remarkable football achievements, including six Premier League titles with Manchester City, but also for his charitable work through the Guardiola Sala Foundation, which supports disadvantaged communities.
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The football world has seen several figures address the Gaza situation. Last October, Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah appealed to world leaders to intervene and "prevent further slaughter of innocent souls."
The following month, Bundesliga club Mainz terminated the contract of Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi, now at Cardiff City, following his social media posts about the conflict.
