Overview
- At Barcelona’s Act x Palestine concert, Guardiola wore a keffiyeh and said “we have left them alone, abandoned,” calling the powerful “cowards” who send “innocent people to kill innocent people.”
- Organizers said proceeds from the event will support Palestinian cultural centers through the Palestinian Performing Arts Network rather than direct emergency aid.
- Roughly 12,000 people attended, with performances reported from Rosalia, Bad Gyal, Lluís Llach and Palestinian singers Zeyne and Lina Makoul.
- Manchester City confirmed he missed Friday’s pre‑match news conference for personal reasons, with assistant Pep Lijnders standing in and saying Guardiola will return for Sunday’s game.
- Coverage of the speech coincided with Israeli media citing senior military officials who now indicate about 70,000 deaths in Gaza, and it revived criticism from a Manchester Jewish council over Guardiola’s stance.