By Kazeem Ajibola Shoyebo
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his intention to continue speaking out about the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and other global conflicts, but his remarks have been met with sharp criticism from leaders of the Jewish community in Manchester, who say his platform as a high-profile football figure should be used more cautiously.
Guardiola’s comments came in a recent pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City’s English League Cup fixture, where he addressed reporters about the suffering of civilians in conflict zones including Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan. The Spaniard said the distressing images from these regions compel him to speak out in defence of innocent lives, adding that the situation “hurts” him and that he feels a responsibility to stand up for justice and humanity.
“Never, ever in the history of humanity have we had the information in front of our eyes watching more clearly than now — the genocide in Palestine … it hurts me,” Guardiola told journalists, explaining that witnessing such suffering motivates him to use his influential platform to speak on broader humanitarian issues.
His remarks followed a recent speech at a charity event in Barcelona in support of Palestinian children, where he similarly voiced concern for civilians affected by conflict.
However, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region has publicly criticised Guardiola’s statements, urging the manager to “focus on football” rather than international political issues. The group expressed concern that his language and public commentary on conflicts — particularly in the Middle East — could fuel antisemitism and potentially increase risk to Jewish communities.
In a statement posted on X, the council said that while Guardiola’s reflections may be “well intentioned,” he should be “more careful” with his words given the “significant risk” faced by Jewish people, especially in light of a terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester last October that claimed lives and traumatized the community.
The statement also accused Guardiola of failing to demonstrate solidarity with Manchester’s Jewish community following that attack — and criticised what it called a pattern of “straying into commentary on international affairs” that the group believes undermines his responsibilities as a public sporting figure.
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