Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has vowed to continue speaking out on humanitarian crises after admitting he is deeply “hurt” by the suffering caused by global conflicts.

Guardiola missed his pre-match press conference ahead of last weekend’s draw with Tottenham after delivering a speech in support of Palestinian children at a charity event in Barcelona.

The Spaniard has never shied away from issues beyond football and insisted that criticism urging him to “stick to football” will not silence him.

Speaking ahead of City’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle, Guardiola became visibly emotional as he discussed graphic images of children killed and injured in conflict zones.

He referenced ongoing crises in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan, as well as recent incidents involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the images have left him angry and determined to speak out.

“Never in the history of humanity have we seen things so clearly, genocide in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, everywhere,” Guardiola said.

He stressed that his pain was rooted in humanity, not politics, questioning how anyone could watch such scenes without being affected.

“To kill thousands of innocent people? It hurts me. I will always stand up,” he added.

Guardiola insisted his stance is about protecting human life, regardless of nationality or politics.

“Rescue the human being first. That’s all that matters,” the 55-year-old said.

He concluded by lamenting the contradiction of modern society, where technological progress exists alongside persistent violence.

“We can reach the moon, but we still kill each other. That’s why I will always speak,” Guardiola said.