Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made one of his most powerful public statements on the Gaza crisis, saying the world has “left Palestinians alone” as the conflict continues.
Speaking on Spanish radio station RAC1 on Monday, the 54-year-old didn’t hold back his frustration with global leaders.
“Every time I imagine what is happening to the people of Palestine, it feels like the whole world has abandoned them,” Guardiola said.
“They are not to blame for being born in Palestine, the children, the parents, the grandparents.”
He questioned why the destruction in Gaza continues without intervention.
“For a very long time now, we have allowed the destruction of an entire people. They say, ‘Don’t call it genocide.’ Then what is it? The people living there, we’ve abandoned them.”
Guardiola said he hasn’t met anyone who can justify what’s happening, and criticized world leaders for failing to act.
Mentioning figures like Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vladimir Putin, he argued this isn’t about politics, it’s about humanity.
“Our children could be there,” he said. “I have little faith in global leadership. Leaders have good intentions, but they are not fixing things.”
He made his position clear: “I am absolutely taking the side of Palestine, the innocent people who are murdered daily.
If a ceasefire or symbolic gesture isn’t possible and only force is used… one side has extremely powerful weapons and the other does not.”
His comments come before Tuesday’s ACT x Palestine charity match between Catalonia and Palestine at Barcelona’s Lluis Companys Stadium.
Over 25,000 tickets have been sold, with all proceeds going toward humanitarian aid and rebuilding efforts in Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports around 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Guardiola believes the match means something real to those affected.
“It’s more than a symbolic game. These days, everyone sees everything, and with this match, Palestinians will know there are people in the world who care about them.”
