NewsBeat
Why Pep Guardiola missed Man City press conference for third time in two months
Need to know
Pep Guardiola missed Manchester City’s pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon in the build-up to their clash with Tottenham, the third time he has done so in the past two months.
Why Pep Guardiola missed Manchester City’s press conference for their clash with Tottenham
- Substitution for Media: Pep Lijnders stepped in for Pep Guardiola during Friday’s press conference before the Manchester City match against Tottenham. While the assistant handled the reporters, the squad were focusing on their final preparations for the upcoming Premier League challenge.
- Third absence: This is the third absence that Guardiola has had from his media duties in the past two months. The first came for the clash with Crystal Palace, which was handled by Kolo Toure, while the more recent one was against Exeter in the FA Cup, with Lijnders speaking due to a yellow card ban for the manager.
- Lijnders on Guardiola’s absence: Lijnders explained to the media the reason for Guardiola not featuring at the press conference, and said: “[The] Manager is good, as always, full of ambition and passion, but he has a personal matter. He will arrive back here in Manchester today.”
- Event Participation: Guardiola’s absence stems from his appearance at the ACT x Palestine benefit concert held in Barcelona this past Thursday. The large-scale event drew a crowd of 12,000 people and featured famous artists like the Spanish singer Rosalia.
- Emotional Testimony: During a speech at the event, Guardiola spoke movingly about the plight of children he has seen pleading for help in media footage from Palestine. He expressed a deep sense of guilt, claiming that the international community has abandoned people.
- Purpose of Funds: The money generated by the charity concert is earmarked for Palestinian cultural and artistic development. Funds will be funnelled into groups like the Palestinian Performing Arts Network to support the region’s heritage.
- Lijnders update: Guardiola’s assistant Lijnders confirmed at the press conference that the head coach will be back to take charge of the clash against Tottenham: “Manager is good, as always, full of ambition and passion, but he has a personal matter. He will arrive back here in Manchester today.”
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