MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola turned a soccer news conference on Tuesday into a passionate address on the “hurt” he is feeling at seeing humanitarian tragedies around the world.
Guardiola did not return to England in time for his regular pre-match media duties in the lead-up to City's Premier League game at Tottenham on Sunday, after giving a speech in support of Palestinian children at a charity event in his home city of Barcelona.
On Tuesday, he was back in front of reporters and spoke on matters outside of soccer once again, despite the news conference ostensibly being a preview to the English League Cup match against Newcastle on Wednesday.
“Never, ever in the history of humanity have we had the info in front of our eyes, watching more clearly than now," he said, referring to what he described as “genocide in Palestine, what happened in Ukraine, what happened in Russia, what happened all around the world, in Sudan, everywhere.
"There is someone who sees the images of what happens from all around the world, the wars around the world, who is not affected? Here it’s not a question about right or wrong — maybe a politician is left wing, right wing, of course . . . but there is someone here that is not affected by what happens every single day? Today we can see it. Before we could not see it. Today we see it. It hurts me."
Guardiola continued: “If it was the opposite side, it would hurt me. Wanting harm for another country? It hurts me . . . completely kill thousands of innocent people, it hurts me. It’s no more complicated than that. No more.
“I have a lot of friends in many, many countries. A lot of friends. When you have an idea and you need to defend (it) and you have to kill thousands, thousands of people, I’m sorry, I will stand up. Always I will be there, always.”
The 55-year-old Guardiola said “protecting the human being and human life is the only thing we have" and added his stance was not about politics or taking sides.
“The people who have to do that, run away from their countries, go in the sea and then go on a boat to get rescued. Don’t ask if he is right or wrong, rescue him. It is about a human being," he said.
“After we can agree (or) criticize . . . but when people (are) dying, you have to help."
Guardiola said he will always use his status as a leading figure in sports to “help (by) speaking up to be a better society.”
“I will try, I will be there. All the time,” he said. “From my point of view, the justice? You have to talk. Otherwise it will just move on."
Guardiola also remarked on the two fatal shootings by federal law enforcement officials of U.S. citizens which have sparked a broad backlash against President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented migrants.
“Look what happened in the United States of America, Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been killed,” said Guardiola, who asked what would happen if a nurse like Pretti was shot in Britain in those circumstances.
“Imagine (someone from) the NHS (National Health Service) — five, six people around him, go on the grass" and was shot.
"Tell me how you can defend that?”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola on the sidelines ahead of the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in London, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on during a press conference in Manchester, England, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2026, one day ahead of their Champions League soccer match against Galatasaray. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Graphic videos showing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he spoke to a crowd on a Utah college campus quickly went viral, drawing millions of views.
Now, attorneys for the man charged in the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk want a state judge to block such videos from being shown during a hearing Tuesday. Defense attorneys also want to oust TV and still cameras from the courtroom, arguing that “highly biased” news outlets risk tainting the case.
Prosecutors, attorneys for news organizations, and Kirk’s widow urged state District Judge Tony Graf to keep the proceedings open.
“In the absence of transparency, speculation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories are likely to proliferate, eroding public confidence in the judicial process,” Erika Kirk's attorney wrote in a Monday court filing. “Such an outcome serves neither the interests of justice nor those of Ms. Kirk.”
But legal experts say the defense team's worries are real: Media coverage in high-profile cases such as Tyler Robinson's can have a direct “biasing effect” on potential jurors, said Cornell Law School Professor Valerie Hans.
“There were videos about the killing, and pictures and analysis (and) the entire saga of how this particular defendant came to turn himself in,” said Hans, a leading expert on the jury system. “When jurors come to a trial with this kind of background information from the media, it shapes how they see the evidence that is presented in the courtroom.”
Watching those videos might make people think, "'Yeah, this was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel,'” Hans said.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray testified Tuesday that he thought about seeking the death penalty before an arrest had been made. He could not recall exactly when he told the governor and federal officials about his plan. Asked why he announced so early his intent to seek the death penalty, Gray said the case was already drawing enormous public attention.
“The more delay, then it just creates all this unnecessary public speculation,” he said, adding that he didn’t want Erika Kirk to have to sit with the uncertainty.
Defense attorneys are seeking to disqualify local prosecutors because the adult daughter of Chad Grunander, a deputy county attorney helping prosecute the case, attended the rally where Kirk was shot. The defense alleges the relationship represents a conflict of interest.
In response, prosecutors said in a court filing that they could present videos to demonstrate that Grunander's daughter was not a necessary witness since numerous other people recorded the shooting. Among the videos, prosecutors wrote, is one that shows the bullet hitting Kirk, blood coming from his neck, and Kirk falling from his chair.
Grunander's daughter testified Tuesday that she did not video the shooting or the aftermath. She said she had been looking at the crowd when she heard a loud pop and a man sitting nearby shouted, “He’s been shot.” She said she never turned to look at Kirk and was more focused on running to safety.
Prosecutors have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing. Robinson also reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.” He has not yet entered a plea.
Robinson's attorneys have ramped up claims of bias as the case has advanced, even accusing news outlets of using lip readers to deduce what the defendant is whispering to his attorneys during court hearings.
Fueling those concerns was a television camera operator who zoomed in on Robinson's face as he talked to his attorneys during a Jan. 16 hearing. That violated courtroom orders, prompting the judge to stop filming of Robinson for the remainder of the hearing.
“Rather than being a beacon for truth and openness, the News Media have simply become a financial investor in this case,” defense attorneys wrote in a request for the court to seal some of their accusations of media bias. Unsealing those records, they added, “will simply generate even more views of the offending coverage, and more revenue for the News Media.”
Further complicating efforts to ensure a fair trial is the political rhetoric swirling around Kirk, stemming from the role his organization played in Trump’s 2024 election. Even before Robinson was charged, people jumped to conclusions about who the shooter could be and what kind of politics he espoused, said University of Utah law professor Teneille Brown.
“People are just projecting a lot of their own sense of what they think was going on, and that really creates concerns about whether they can be open to hearing the actual evidence that’s presented,” she said.
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in 4th District Court, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray stands during a hearing on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Tyler Robinson, center left, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, sits to the right of defense attorney Kathryn Nester during a hearing in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
