Guardiola says Catalonia-Palestine football match “more than symbolic”

• Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Gaza: "The world has left Palestine alone. We have done absolutely nothing."
• Guardiola emphasized the importance of an upcoming charity match between Catalonia and Palestine as a symbolic way to show the Palestinian people that a part of the world "thinks about them."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola delivered a scathing critique of global inaction amid the ongoing assault on Gaza, emphasizing the human cost in an interview ahead of a high-profile charity football match between Catalonia and Palestine.

In an appearance on Catalan radio station RAC1's "El món a RAC1" program, Guardiola highlighted the symbolic importance of the upcoming game, stating, "It is more than a symbolic match. Today everything is known and with this match, the Palestinians will see that there is a part of the world that thinks about them."

Catalonia-Palestine Match 

The match, scheduled for November 18, 2025, at Barcelona's Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, is organized by the ACT X PALESTINE platform and aims to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

With around 25,000 tickets already sold, the event serves as a tribute to over 400 Palestinian athletes killed since October 2023. All proceeds will go toward supporting relief efforts in the region.

Guardiola, a proud Catalan and vocal advocate for social causes, did not mince words about the topic. 

"The world has left Palestine alone. We have done absolutely nothing. They are not to blame for having been born there. All of us have allowed an entire people to be destroyed. The harm has already been done and it is irreparable," he said.

"I cannot imagine a person in this world who can defend the massacres in Gaza. Our children could be there and be assassinated just for having been born there. I have very little faith in the leaders. They will do anything to stay in power,” he added.

The 54-year-old coach, who has long championed Catalan independence, drew parallels between the struggles for self-determination in Catalonia and the Palestinian plight.

Guardiola has a history of political activism; in 2017, he addressed a rally in Barcelona, decrying what he called "abuses of an authoritarian state" in reference to Spain's handling of the Catalan independence referendum.

"The symbolism helps to raise the alarm, but behind it there has to be something that moves," Guardiola concluded.

"There is always a reason to demonstrate, in this case it is a football match. It is symbolic, but it's better that the Palestinians can think that for a while we are there and that the stadium looks great."