Guardiola
A Christian human rights watchdog has welcomed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaking out about atrocities in Sudan, encouraging him to raise awareness of the conflict with the club’s ownership.
At a pre-match press conference, Guardiola said he wants to use his voice to “speak up to be a better society”.
He shared that footage he has seen from conflict zones “hurts me”, referencing Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan; expressing a particular heart for the children killed and injured.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has said Guardiola “is in a unique and difficult position” because of Manchester City’s association to the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of supporting the war in Sudan.
More than 30 million people, including 15 million children, are in need of support in Sudan, according to CSW. At least 150,000 people have been killed.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been in armed conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia group. The UAE has been criticised for its support of the RSF.
Manchester City is owned by Sheikh Mansour, vice president of the UAE and member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family.
A spokesperson for CSW told Premier Christian News: “CSW is encouraged to hear Pep Guardiola speaking up about the situation in Sudan and other injustices taking place around the world today.
“His comments are correct; we are living in times where images of atrocities are shared widely and often by the perpetrators, as occurred in Sudan last October, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El Fasher. We can no longer claim to be unaware of the human toll of such conflicts.
“However, Mr Guardiola is in a unique and difficult position.
“Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the owner of the club he works for, is the deputy prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates, and is credibly implicated in supporting the RSF, thereby fuelling the war and prolonging the suffering of, the people of Sudan.
“We would encourage Mr Guardiola to raise awareness of this conflict publicly, within his own club and across the Premier League. It also shows the importance of CSW's Eyes on Sudan campaign.
“We are not targeting the players, staff, or fans of any team; we are trying to hold those fuelling conflicts to account, with the ultimate hope of seeing an end to the war in Sudan.”
In 2023, clubs approved new rules which disqualifies people involved in “human rights abuse” from ownership.
CSW has called on the Premier League to “uphold its obligations to prevent human rights abuses” by raising this issue with Sheikh Mansour and insisting the UAE provide humanitarian support.
Concerns about the involvement of Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, a UAE government official and chairman of Manchester City, in Donald Trump's Board of Peace have also been raised by CSW.
Guardiola was absent from media duties last week, a day after appearing at a charity concert supporting Palestinian children in Barcelona, his home city.
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