Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been told to “focus on football” after Jewish community leaders took exception to his comments about the victims of global conflicts.
On Tuesday, the Spaniard told journalists at a press conference how the suffering of innocent people caught up in conflicts in Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine “hurts” him and leaves him compelled to speak out about the issues.
However, Guardiola’s views frustrated the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, who fear antisemitic acts could be fuelled by similar language.
“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. Whilst his humanitarian reflections may be well-intentioned, he should focus on football.”
The group also accused Guardiola 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.
“It’s especially galling given his total failure to use his significant platform to display any solidarity with the Jewish community subjected to a terrorist attack a few miles from the Etihad Stadium,” the statement added.
“We implore Mr Guardiola to be more careful in his future language given the significant risk faced by our community.”