Football legend Pep Guardiola, who is the manager of Manchester City club called on people to ‘pressure governments to take immediate action’ regarding the conflict in Gaza.
The 54-year-old voiced his support for a pro-Gazan demonstration on the streets of his birth city, Barcelona, organised on Staurday, October 4.
The video of him voicing his support has garnered more than 6.4 million views on X (formerly Twitter).
Thousands of people marched in Spain’s Barcelona and Italy’s Rome on October 4, Saturday as part of ongoing protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Demonstrations in Barcelona and Madrid had been planned weeks earlier, while rallies in Rome and later in Lisbon were triggered by anger over Israel’s interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla headed for Gaza.
More than 300,00 people filled the streets of Barcelona, according to organisers on October 4. Other demonstrations were registered in various parts of the country. Police estimates put the number at around 70,000.
Spain has seen an upsurge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its left-wing government intensified diplomatic efforts against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led government.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
“We are witnessing a live genocide where thousands of children have already died and others may still die. The Gaza Strip is devastated, and a flood of people are walking without shelter, food, drinking water, or medicine,” the football legend said adding that only an organised urban civil society can save lives and pressure governments to take immediate action.
This is not the first time Guardiola has shared his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In June, after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester he had said: “It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body.
Guardiola’s support for Palestine comes at a critical juncture in the conflict. US President Donald Trump on October, the day protests were held in Barcelona, warned Hamas that he “will not tolerate delay” in the Gaza Peace plan he proposed. This after Hamas said on Friday it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza under a peace deal proposed by Donald Trump but wanted negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory.
Who is Pep Guardiola?
Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola Sala is a Catalan professional football manager and former player who has been the manager of Premier League club Manchester City since 2016.
Guardiola is one of two managers in history to win the continental treble twice and he holds the record for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, Bundesliga, and the Premier League. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
Guardiola was a defensive midfielder and spent the majority of his career with Barcelona and was part the team that won the club’s first European Cup in 1992, and four successive Spanish league titles from 1991 to 1994. He captained the team from 1997 until his departure from Barcelona in 2001.
Manchester City and UAE connection?
Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s, the club was named Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and became Manchester City in 1894.
Manchester City is owned by the City Football Group (CFG), a holding company whose majority shareholder is the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), which is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mansour, a member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ruling family, acquired Manchester City in 2008, and the CFG was founded in 2014 as a parent company for various football clubs.
Guardiola’s remarks for Palestine also assume significance because UAE is one of the Israeli allies in the Muslim world.