Spanish manager Pep Guardiola, renowned for his vocal solidarity with Palestine and speaking out against Israel's genocide in Gaza, announced that he will step down as Manchester City manager after a highly successful 10-year spell.
"And what a time we have had together. Don't ask me the reasons I'm leaving.
"There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it's my time," said Guardiola in an emotional statement posted by the club through the US social media company X.
Beyond his achievements as a head coach, he emerged as one of the football's most high-profile figures to openly and consistently condemn Israel's deadly war in Gaza, calling on the people across the world to not remain silent.
The suffering is a concern that the 55-year-old coach Guardiola felt was important enough to skip a pre-match press conference and instead attend the Act x Palestine charity event in Barcelona in January.
"When I see a child in these past two years with these images on social media, on television, recording himself, pleading, 'where is my mother?' among the rubble, and he still doesn't know it.
"And I always think: 'What must they be thinking?' And I think we have left them alone, abandoned," Guardiola said, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
'This is our problem'
Speaking at a February press conference ahead of his team's Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg match against Newcastle United, Guardiola said the killing of innocent people around the world deeply affects him and called on people not to remain silent in the face of injustice.
"Never in human history have we had everything so clearly in front of our eyes," he stated.
"The genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, in Russia, in Sudan -- everywhere. This is our problem as human beings."
The Spanish coach said the matter goes beyond politics or taking sides, emphasizing that the protection of human life must be prioritized above all else.
"It's not only about Palestine. It's about every cause that can make humanity better.
"People fleeing wars, leaving their countries, crossing the Mediterranean -- don't question whether it's right or wrong. Rescue them. When people are dying, you have to help."
'I see my kids when I wake up every morning since the nightmare started with the infants in Gaza'
During his acceptance speech to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester in June 2025, Guardiola said he finds the situation in Gaza deeply painful, saying it hurts him, and highlighted that his concern is rooted in humanity rather than ideology.
"It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. Come on. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbor," he stressed.
The manager noted that every morning since the Gaza war began, he sees his own children when he wakes up, highlighting the emotional impact of the suffering of infants there.
"We can think about that. It's not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next 4- or 5-year-old kids will be ours.
"Sorry, but I see my kids when I wake up every morning since the nightmare started with the infants in Gaza. And I'm so scared. Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now. And you might ask what we can do," added Guardiola.
The Spaniard has consistently presented his stance as a humanitarian one, stressing that he opposes the killing of innocent civilians regardless of their nationality or religion.
His outspoken political activism has long set him apart from many of football's other high-profile managers.
Israel's deadly war, attacks in Gaza
The Israeli army launched a two-year deadly war in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 72,000 people, most of them women and children, injuring over 172,000, and causing massive destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure.
A ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025. However, the Israeli army violates the truce on a daily basis, killing more than 880 people, and wounding over 2,645 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
