Guardiola: Racism is not a Spanish problem, its global
Manchester City still have the final game of the Premier League season to play but Sunday’s trip to Brentford - or the team’s chances to clinch the treble featured little in Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference.
The Catalan coach was asked for his opinions on the insults aimed at Real Madrid winger and whether he thought racism is an endemic problem in Spain or Spanish sport. “The problem is that there is racism everywhere you go, not just in Spain with Vinicius Júnior,” he told reporters.
Vinicius targetted by fans, what are your recollections of your time in Spain and what can LaLiga learn from the Premier League? “They should (learn from the Premier League’s stance on racism).
Here they are so, so strict. But they know what they have to do. But racism is a problem everywhere, not in just one specific place, it’s everywhere... We have, I would say bad educated people thinking that we are better than our neighbours, we are better than the other one - that everyone, from where we come from, for all generations, everywhere...
Our ancestors, or own people come from migrants, from wars, from dictatorships that you have to move from, to foreign countries.
After that, we build families there and have to come back from where you’re born. Society is like that.
But the problem is that racism is everywhere - and not just for the gender or the colour [of someone’s skin]. For the attitude.
We believe that our country is better than the other one, that our language is better than the other one, and however much you fly, travel or know, until you realise that we are all the same. With the same fears, with the same good things.
It’s just a question of accepting the diversity, as a strength, as a human being. But still, even now, we are far far away from that - a long, long way away from that. Hopefully, it can be one step to getting better in Spain but I’m not really optimistic...
”There are a lot, a lot, a lot of black people stepping forward to defend what they should not have to defend. Hopefully, justice [the courts] can help to do it - but at the same time, I’m not really sure if it’s going to change anything in Spain”.
FA Cup and Champions League Finals: “In my experience, the best way to play a final, the important ones, is to disconnect as much as possible. When I started out, I used to think, ‘I have to prepare for the final, I have to put together a lot of videos and motivational issues...’ but it’s the complete opposite. I think you have to play as though they were a Premier League rival - that’s when we will be closer to being ourselves and play at our best level.
For the last month we have played just one game a week, maybe we’ve had a couple of days off, but at the moment, we need to disconnect - even our physios, catering staff and doctors... they have been working incredibly hard during all of this period so, they all need to disconnect.
They are here working 10 hours working with the players, so they need to recover from this stressful period we’ve had. When you are competing for every trophy, that’s how it is. That’s why, [I say to them] go with your families, if the weather’s nice go and play golf, work, do whatever you want.
Relax and make sure you leave quality to prepare for the final. You have to train less, but doing exactly what we need to be in the best conditions for the finals.”.
