Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola reveals being “so scared” by ongoing Gaza war | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has admitted that the ongoing conflict in Gaza has left him “so scared” in fresh words from the Manchester City manager on the war.

The 54-year-old has been speaking at Whitworth Hall at the University of Manchester as he received an honorary doctorate from the institution on Monday, recognising his remarkable work on and off the pitch during his nine years to date in the city.

As well as his remarkable success in claiming 18 trophies in nine years at Manchester City, the award also recognised the work of his family foundation, the Guardiola Sala Foundation, which “strives to support the most disadvantaged” in society.

As part of a wide-ranging speech to those in attendance at the ceremony in Manchester city centre, which included an admiration for the people of the region as well as its welcoming and embracing culture, Pep Guardiola also took the opportunity to discuss global issues.

As part of that speech, the Manchester City manager – in a clip shared on social media – discussed the ongoing conflict involving Hamas and Israel along the Gaza Strip and in Israel itself.

It has been around 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage, according to reporting from the BBC.

Since then, it has been estimated that at least 54,880 people have been killed in Gaza, according to data issued by the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body,” Guardiola admitted. “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.”

The Catalan football coach continued, “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. We can think about that. It’s not our business.

“But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four- or five-year-old kids will be ours. Sorry, but I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina. When I see every morning since the nightmare started the infants in Gaza, and I’m so scared.”

Pep Guardiola also pointed towards a story to highlight the importance of ‘refusing to remain silent’, as he went on, “Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now, and you might ask what we can do.

“There is a story I’m reminded of. A forest is on fire. All the animals live terrified, helpless. But a small bird flies back and forth to the sea, carrying drops of water in its little beak. A snake laughs, and asks: ‘Why bro? You will never put the fire out.’ The bird replies: ‘Yes, I know.’ ‘Then why do you do it again and again?’, the snake asks once again. ‘I’m just doing my part,’ the bird replies for the last time.”

Guardiola added, “The bird knows it won’t stop the fire, but it refused to do nothing. In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about the scale, it’s about choice, about showing up, about refusing to be silent or still when it matters most.”

This is certainly not the first time that Pep Guardiola has aired his own political views on major global issues, having frequently spoke out on his support for pro-Catalan independence.

Back in 2018, the Manchester City head coach was fined £20,000 by the FA for “wearing a political message” pitch-side – a yellow ribbon supporting imprisoned politicians in his native Catalonia, having previously being warned he was in breach of regulations.

In 2017, Pep Guardiola personally joined thousands of protesters in Barcelona calling for independence in the region.