On Monday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Manchester, in recognition of his contributions to the city, both on and off the pitch.
During his acceptance speech, Guardiola addressed the situation in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization. Expressing deep personal anguish over events in the region, he pointedly avoided mentioning the October 7 massacre, sparking widespread outrage among Israeli football fans and many Jews in Britain.
"It's incredibly painful, what we're seeing in Gaza. It hurts my whole body," Guardiola said. "And I want to make it clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about me being right and you being wrong. Come on. This is simply about the love of life, about caring for your neighbor. Maybe we think it's none of our busines, seeing four-year-old children killed in bombings or dying in a hospital that no that's no longer a hosptal. It's not our business. The next one will be ours. the next four, five year old kids will be ours."
Guardiola's remarks quickly resonated across global media. The UK's Independent described it as "a passionate and emotional speech." A media outlet in Barcelona called it "a historic speech by a football figure on a political issue." France's RMC added: "Guardiola delivered a powerful and important speech in response to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza."
Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party who has faced repeated allegations of antisemitism, shared Guardiola's comments and wrote: "Thank you, Pep Guardiola, for speaking up for the people of Gaza and calling for peace in Ukraine, Sudan and Congo as well. In the face of genocide happening before our eyes, silence is not an option. Kudos to all who use their platforms to defend our shared humanity."
Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said he was "inspired" by Guardiola's speech. "As I was leaving Parliament today," he wrote, "I came across a lone protester demonstrating for Palestine, and I was reminded of Guardiola's words."
