Pep Guardiola gives passionate speech in support of Palestinian children

The Manchester City boss' appearance at a rally in Barcelona last night comes in the midst of the football season, with his team scheduled to play on Sunday.

Friday 30 January 2026 14:32, UK

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Pep Guardiola has given a passionate speech in support of Palestinian children and called for action.

The Manchester City manager missed his usual pre-weekend news conference on Friday after speaking at a charity concert in Barcelona on Thursday evening.

Guardiola wore a keffiyeh scarf as he spoke of his pain at seeing children suffering.

"Good evening, salam alaikum, how wonderful," the 55-year-old said at the event.

"When I see a child in these past two years with these images on social media, on television, recording himself, pleading, 'where is my mother?' among the rubble and he still doesn't know it.

"And I always think: 'What must they be thinking?' And I think we have left them alone, abandoned.

"I always imagine them saying: 'Where are you? Come help us.'

"And even now, we haven't done it. Perhaps because those in power are cowards, because they basically send innocent young people to kill innocent people."

He called for a "step forward" as he made what he called "a statement for Palestine and... a statement for humanity".

Manchester City had said that Guardiola would miss Friday's news conference for personal reasons, with assistant Pep Lijnders taking his place to preview Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite a fragile ceasefire being agreed between Hamas and Israel in October, more than 400 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the months since, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Israel's military now accepts that around 70,000 Palestinians have been killed during ‌the war in Gaza, according to Israeli media citing senior military officials.

Pep Guardiola gives passionate speech in support of Palestinian children

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