Racism should be dealt with by schools, not football – Guardiola

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has said that racism can best be addressed in society through educational institutions and not football.

According to him, racism remains prevalent in society, where people discriminate against others and foster feelings of superiority.

The Spanish manager stressed that racism is not only about skin color but also about behavioral traits that make individuals feel superior and undermine others.

“I said the week before: not where you were born or the color of your skin makes us better or worse. There is still a lot of work to do. It is in society; it is not just in football. Racism is everywhere. Do you think racism is only about skin color? How you behave is racism. It’s how you pretend you are better than someone else for many reasons,” he told the media.

Speaking on how to combat the menace, Guardiola stated that schools should lead the fight since most people pass through their systems during training and education.

“The schools. Pay a lot to the teachers. That’s how you deal with it. In the schools, not in football. The teachers and the doctors have to be the best, the most important people in society, by far. Not the managers,” he added.

This comes after the match between Benfica and Real Madrid at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, was halted for 10 minutes when Vinícius Jnr reported racial abuse by Gianluca Prestianni to referee François Letexier. Vinícius and his teammates temporarily left the field in protest.

Watch Guardiola's remarks below:



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