Man City soccer manager condemns ‘genocide in Palestine,’ vows to speak on global conflicts

Pep Guardiola, manager of the UK’s Manchester City soccer team, condemns what he called the “genocide in Palestine” while saying he will continue to use his platform to speak up for victims of global conflicts and violence.

Guardiola’s team is one of the top soccer teams in Europe, and has won the English Premier League several times in recent years. His remarks came at a pre‑match press conference ahead of a game against Newcastle United, five days after he voiced support for Palestinians at a pro-Palestinian charity concert in Barcelona, where he went onstage wearing a keffiyeh and condemned political leaders for being cowardly.

“Never, ever in the history of humanity have we had the information in front of our eyes watching more clearly than now,” Guardiola, who is Spanish, tells reporters in Manchester.

“The genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, what happened in Russia, what happened all around the world – in Sudan, everywhere,” he says. “What happened in front of us? Do you want to see it? It’s our problems as human beings. It’s our problems.”

Israel adamantly rejects the accusation that it has committed genocide in Gaza, saying it takes measures to avoid harming noncombatants and blaming Hamas for fighting from civilian areas.

Guardiola also condemns immigration agents’ lethal crackdown in the US.

“Look what happened in the United States of America, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed. Tell me how you can defend that,” Guardiola said. The fatal shootings of the two US citizens by federal immigration agents sparked widespread protests in the United States.

“When I see the images, I am sorry it hurts. That is why in every position I can help speak up to be a better society, I will try and will be there. All the time. It is for my kids, my families, for you,” he says. “There is not a perfect society, nowhere is perfect, I am not perfect, we have to work to be better.”