MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola used his soccer press conference Tuesday to speak passionately about the “hurt” he feels watching humanitarian tragedies around the world.
Guardiola did not return to England in time for his usual pre-match media duties for City’s Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday after giving a speech in support of Palestinian children at a charity event in his hometown of Barcelona.
The press conference was ostensibly a prelude to Wednesday’s English League Cup clash with Newcastle, but he returned to reporters on Tuesday to once again talk about non-football issues.
“Never in the history of humanity have we had more information before our eyes and seen it so clearly,” he said, referring to what he described as “the genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, what happened in Russia, what happened all over the world, in Sudan, everywhere.”
“There are people who are watching what is happening around the world, watching footage of wars around the world, but who is not affected by it? Right or wrong doesn’t matter here. Of course politicians can be left or right… but is there anyone here who is not affected by what is happening every day? Today we can see it. We couldn’t see it before, but today we see it. It hurts me.”
Guardiola continued: “If it was the other side, it would hurt me. Do you want to harm another country? It hurts me… The complete killing of thousands of innocent people, it hurts me. There’s nothing more complicated than that. No more.”
“I have a lot of friends in a lot of countries. A lot of friends. When I have an idea and I have to defend it and I have to kill thousands of people, I’m sorry, I stand up. I’m always there, always.”
“Protecting humans and human life is the only thing we can do,” Guardiola, 55, said, adding that his position was not about politics or taking sides.
“People who have to do that flee the country, go into the sea and then get on a boat to be rescued. Don’t ask if it’s right or wrong, rescue him. This is a human issue,” he said.
“After we agree (or) criticize… But when people are () dying, we have to help.”
Guardiola said he would always use his position as a sports leader to “raise my voice for the betterment of society.”
“I try, I’ll be there. Always,” he said. “Justice, from my point of view? We have to talk. If not, we just move on.”
Guardiola also mentioned two fatal shootings of American citizens by federal law enforcement officers. caused a widespread backlash Opposes President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
“Look at what happened in the US, Renee Goode and Alex Preti were killed,” Guardiola said, asking what would happen if a nurse like Preti was shot dead in such a situation in the UK.
“Imagine (someone) in the NHS, with five or six people around him, go out on the grass,” and get shot.
“Please tell me how I can defend that.”
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