JRC unhappy with City manager’s ‘controversial views’
Guardiola referred to ‘genocide in Palestine’ on Tuesday
The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has been urged to be “more careful with his future language” by representatives of the city’s Jewish community after he spoke out about Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Guardiola gave a speech in support of Palestinian children at a charity event in his home city of Barcelona last week, and on Tuesday he told journalists at a press conference how the suffering of innocent people caught up in conflict, including the one in the Middle East, “hurts” him, and leaves him feeling compelled to speak out.
However, he has been advised to “focus on football” by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region, who fear such comments fuel antisemitic acts. The group also accused him of a “total failure” to display solidarity with Manchester’s Jewish community in the wake of last October’s attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue, in which two people were killed.
“We have repeatedly asked for prominent individuals to be mindful about the words they use given how Jewish people have had to endure attacks across the globe,” a statement posted on X read. “Pep Guardiola is a football manager. While his humanitarian reflections may be well intentioned, he should focus on football.
