Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola delivered an emotional speech about the suffering in Gaza after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Manchester on Monday. Guardiola also mentioned the suffering in Sudan, Congo and Ukraine.
Addressing a packed audience at the historic Whitworth Hall, Guardiola used the occasion not to speak about football, but to deliver a heartfelt message about human suffering, justice, and moral responsibility, with a particular focus on the war in Gaza.
Presented with the honorary degree by Chancellor Nazir Afzal, Guardiola stood not only as one of football’s most accomplished figures, but as a father, a global citizen, and a man grappling with the weight of witnessing civilian suffering from afar.
“It’s so painful, what we see in Gaza,” he said, visibly shaken. “It hurts me — my whole body.”
Guardiola made it clear that his plea was not grounded in politics or ideology. “Let me be clear — it’s not about who is right or wrong,” he said. “It’s just about the love of life. About care for your neighbour.” He described the horrors of children killed by bombs and dying in crumbling hospitals, warning against apathy: “Maybe we think we see boys and girls, four years old, being killed… and we say, ‘It’s not our business.’ Yeah, fine. But be careful. The next ones could be ours.”
Fighting back emotion, Guardiola invoked the image of his children Maria, Màrius, and Valentina. “Every morning since the nightmare started, when I see the images of infants in Gaza, I see my own kids. And I am scared,” he admitted.
Guardiola addressed the sense of helplessness many feel by telling the story of a small bird who, as a forest burned, flew back and forth from the sea carrying drops of water to the flames. When mocked by a snake for the futility of its efforts, the bird simply replied, “I know. But I’m doing my part.”
“This is not about scale,” Guardiola said. “It’s about choice. About showing up. About refusing to be silent or still when it matters most.”
The speech is widely shared online, with many users lauding the veteran footballer for standing up for Palestinians.
