While preparations for Sunday’s Manchester derby have taken up the majority of Pep Guardiola’s week, the Catalan coach has been intently watching the conflict in Ukraine unfold and has sensationally accused NATO and European nations of failing.
These remarks came on the same day that NATO confirmed they wouldn’t be sending troops or aircraft into Ukraine in order to help resist the Russian forces gathered in the country, citing the fact that they are a defensive organisation.
“The politicians can avoid these things, but it happens because they are failures, complete failures,” Guardiola declared in his pre-match press conference.
“They are there to avoid these things, it happens because they are not able to do it, not for the flag or a piece of land.
“It happens in Syria, Palestine, Yugoslavia, where innocent people can’t be bought. If the money is not involved there’s not a war, it still happens, eight days, nine days into the war.
“NATO and European nations are failures, complete failures.”