Manchester City Football Club manager Pep Guardiola on Monday expressed pain over the ongoing war in Gaza and warned against turning a blind eye to Palestinian suffering, as he accepted an honorary degree at the University of Manchester.
“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts all my body,” Guardiola said in his acceptance speech. “Let me be clear – it’s not about ideology. It’s not about I’m right and you’re wrong. Come on, it’s just about the love of life. About the care of your neighbor.”
“Maybe we think that we can see the boys and girls of four years old being killed with a bomb or being killed at the hospital, because it is not a hospital anymore, and think it’s not our business,” he said, appearing to reference Israeli operations at Gazan medical centers commandeered by the Hamas terror group.
“Yeah, fine. We can think about that. It’s not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four-, five-year-old kids will be ours. Sorry that I see my kids, Maria, Marius, and Valentina, every morning since the nightmare started in Gaza. And I’m so scared,” he continued.
“Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now. And you might ask what we can do,” he said.
“There’s a story I’m reminded of. A forest is on fire. All the animals live terrified, helpless. But the small bird flies back and forth to the sea, back and forth, carrying drops of water in this little beak. A snake laughs and asks, ‘Why, bro? You will never put the fire out.’ The poor bird replies, ‘Yes I know it.’ ‘Then why do you do it again and again?’ the snake asks once again. ‘I’m just doing my part,’ the bird replies for the last time. The bird knows that he won’t stop the fire, but it refused to do nothing.”
“In a world that often tells us that we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me that the power of one is not about the scale, it’s about choice. About showing up, about refusing to be silent or still when it matters most,” he said.
Israel launched the war against Hamas in Gaza following the terror group’s +assault on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage. Terror groups in Gaza continue to hold 55 hostages, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 who are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 54,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Guardiola was presented with the honorary doctorate by the university’s chancellor at a ceremony to honor his success with City, including leading the team to six Premier League titles and the Champions League, and in the community, notably through his Guardiola Sala Foundation.
“I have spent nine years here and it has become home,” Guardiola said. “The people, the culture, my incredible football club, my colleagues… it is all so special to me and my family.
“When I arrived here in 2016, I did not know how long I would spend here. The way this city embraced me made everything easy. My time here has been beautiful.”
Prof. Duncan Ivison, who is the university’s president and vice chancellor, described Guardiola as an “innovator and a winner who has inspired millions of people through his success as a manager.”
“He has played a huge role in making Manchester a global success story,” he said, “and we are honored that he has chosen to accept this degree. I hope that this forges another important connection between him, the University of Manchester, and the city.”