Pep Guardiola criticises Donald Trump, global conflicts and talks the small boats crisis in an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday.
Ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg vs Newcastle, Guardiola passionately spoke out on global humanitarian crises, and how much it hurts him seeing images of innocent people, especially children, parents, and families, being killed or having their lives destroyed.
He spoke of the “genocide in Palestine,” the wars in Ukraine, related events in Russia, Sudan, recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the United States and other places affected worldwide, saying modern technology had made the atrocities more visible than ever before in history, yet humanity still allows it.
“When thousands of innocent people are completely killed it hurts me!”
“Humanity is better than ever in terms of possibilities. We can do everything. But still, right now, we kill each other. For what?!”
Pep Guardiola delivers hugely passionate speech on the power of images and… pic.twitter.com/EJ3AQmZmmU
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) February 3, 2026
“Today we can see it, before we could not see it,” said Guardiola. “It hurts me. If it was the opposite side, it would hurt me. I’m sorry, I will stand up, always I will be there. Always. Completely kill thousands of innocent people? It hurts me. It’s no more complicated than that. No more.
“I cannot imagine how anybody cannot feel that, when you see the images every single day, the fathers, mothers, kids, having what happened, their lives being destroyed and the people cannot feel a little bit of being attached? I’m sorry, I cannot feel it.”
When asked by The Athletic on this means so much to him, Guardiola responded: “I appreciate it because it’s the first time in 10 years that one journalist asks me about that.
“It looks like you [the media] are not allowed to do it for your work, I don’t know.
“But there is somebody who sees the images from all around the world – the wars – who is not affected? It’s not a question about right or wrong.”
Guardiola brought up global issues without being asked about them, it arose after the question of Phil Foden’s recent form and injustices his players suffered at the hands of match officials following the 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
Guardiola refused to blame the referee saying the reason they play good or bad “belongs to us”, while decisions are about “images” not “interpretation”.
He spoke on global conflicts: “Never, ever in the history of humanity have we had the information in front of our eyes watching more clearly than now – genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, what happened in Russia, what happened all around the world – in Sudan, everywhere.
“What happened in front of us? Do you want to see it? It’s our problems as human beings. It’s our problems.
“Is there someone here who is not affected every single day? For me, it hurts me. If it was the opposite (political) side, it would hurt me. Killing thousands of innocent people, it hurts me. It’s no more complicated than that. Do something wrong, go to jail.
“I have a lot of friends from many, many countries, but when you have an idea and you need to defend (it) and you have to kill thousands of people (to do that) I’m sorry, I will stand up.”
Protest groups want Man City’s owner and UAE vice president Sheikh Mansour to be held to account for the conflict in Sudan and have twice demonstrated outside the Etihad Stadium recently.
On migrants crossing the Channel in small boats: “The people who have to do that, run away from their countries, go in the sea and then go on a boat to get rescued – don’t ask if he is right or wrong, rescue him. It is about a human being.
“After we can agree, criticise but everyone is right, everyone has an idea and you have to express it. People are dying, you have to help him. Protecting the human being and human life is the only thing we have.”
Two US citizens were shot dead by federal agents carrying out US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis in the last month, with fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) saying they have become “extremely concerned by the ongoing militarisation of police forces in the US” ahead of this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Asked what was behind his decision to speak up on political issues, Guardiola said: “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.
“From my point of view, the justice? You have to talk. Otherwise it will just move on. Look what happened in the United States of America with Renee Good and Alex Pretti, they have been killed [by ICE]. A nurse, [like] from the NHS, imagine five or six people around them, on the grass, ten shots.
“Tell me how you can defend that. If you do something wrong you go to trial, or to sue, or to jail. That’s what happens in the modern [world]. There’s not a perfect society, I’m not perfect, nobody’s perfect, societies are not perfect. But you have to work to be in a better place. A woman was surrounded and killed. Who can defend that? I don’t know. I will always [stand up] in front of that.”
Back to football, and Pep Guardiola also jokingly said he is “a little bit sad and upset” that Manchester City have only the seventh highest net spend on transfers in the Premier League over the last five years.
Asked how much praise director of football Hugo Viana should be given for the transfer activity, Guardiola replied: “Really good. Txiki [Bergiristain] before and Hugo now.
“I am a little bit sad and upset because in net spend the last five years we are seventh in the Premier League. I want to be the first, I don’t understand why the club don’t spend more money. I am a little bit grumpy with them.
“But like we won in the past because we spent a lot, now six teams have to win the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues and FA Cups because they spend more in the last five years. These are facts. It’s not an opinion.
“You can say an opinion, like you say you play good or bad against Spurs – we can agree or disagree. But they are facts. Good luck to the six teams who are in front of us for net spend for the last five years.
“Let’s go. I’m waiting. That’s a nice quote, eh?”
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