MANCHESTER CITY GUILTY VERDICT LIKELY TO LEAD TO GUARDIOLA DEPARTURE
Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona awakened me to the beauty of football. As a child, I sat watching La Liga with my dad, mesmerised by the grace and delicate play of Iniesta and Xavi, and of course the all-round supernatural genius of Messi.
I looked beyond just admiring the players on the grass. My fondness for Guardiola was strong from an early age and as I grew, so did my admiration for him. It is an appreciation that has regrettably faded over time.
It was always enriching to hear him speak. I remember his humility after beating Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League Final. In his post-match interview, he calmly dismissed an overly eager question, asking if Barcelona could win it all again the next season by saying “Take time my friend, take time!”
After years of idolising him, I was dismayed to see him join the UAE sports wash machine of Man City.
If we examine the approach that City took in attracting Guardiola, it becomes clear that appointing former Barcelona staff was key. Ferran Soriano, former Vice President and General Manager of Barcelona and Txiki Begiristain (Director of Football and a former teammate of Pep) were brought in several years before Guardiola’s arrival.
With the King’s guard appointed, all the horses were prepared for Pep to arrive in Manchester. Guardiola reaffirmed this when asked by Noel Gallagher in his first interview on City’s YouTube channel “I chose Manchester City because they wanted me for a long time, because Txiki and Ferran are here and I’ve known them for a long time.”
The allure of Gulf State spending power is tempting for any manager but it was not just that. These personal relationships and the promise to let him implement the Barcelona model persuaded Pep to join City.
In footballing terms, what Guardiola has created at City is of course remarkable. What puzzles me is how he reconciles his morals, principles and values with working for a club owned by one of the most powerful men in the authoritarian UAE.
Guardiola has regularly spoken out for the Catalan politicians who were imprisoned in 2017, using press conferences as a vehicle to give the politically repressed a voice. He calls upon Spain to recognise the so called “unconstitutional” referendum as a legal election. He said in 2017 “The rest of Spain must try to understand the reality that yesterday, Catalonia showed clearly what it wants.”
Guardiola wears a yellow ribbon in solidarity with the Catalan politicians
Guardiola is a cultured man with a deep interest in history and politics. It would be impossibly naive to think that he is not aware of the repression of political expression in the UAE, the imprisonment and torture of political activists and the treatment of women and migrants. I have contacted Manchester City to offer Pep the right of reply but so far, I have not received a response.
This is not to suggest that Guardiola is a hypocrite for fighting passionately for his political beliefs. We all act out our lives in this cruel modern world. We buy into things that deep down we know we shouldn’t like the World Cup in Qatar.
We naively expect managers to speak out. Then we’re reminded of the reality. Many people expected Thomas Tuchel to challenge the Super League proposal. His reaction was – “Let’s be honest, I am an employee of Chelsea.” Eddie Howe’s approach when asked about Saudi ownership was dismissive as he told journalists that his focus was only football.
When are football managers able to say what they really believe? Not often it would seem. They are employees and must follow the employer’s narrative, but to so many of us Guardiola has always seemed different.
The investigative hearing into Man City’s alleged breaking of Financial Fair Play began two weeks ago. Last year Guardiola made it clear that if the hierarchy of City had misled him about the club’s finances, then he would walk away.
As the hearing started, Guardiola maintained his stance of confidence, that all is well, that he has been assured of innocence by the club and ‘let’s wait and see.’ Pep is into the final year of his contract at City and still has not renewed. Fans are expected to unveil banners at the game against Fulham this weekend, asking Pep to stay.
If City are found guilty, they could theoretically be expelled from the Premier League. It may be that Guardiola is waiting for the outcome of the case before making a decision about his future.
Guardiola is a revolutionary football figure and a spokesperson for strong, democratic principles. If he leaves City, let us hope that he can find a club, or nation, which aligns with his values.
