Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed regret after his heated interaction with a cameraman following City’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Newcastle. The Spaniard confronted referee Sam Barrott and pulled the cameraman’s headphones to speak into them after City felt aggrieved by a penalty call, handball appeal, and a close offside decision.
“I feel embarrassed, ashamed when I see it. I don’t like it. I apologised after one second to the cameraman. I am who I am,” Guardiola said, reflecting on the incident. “After 1,000 games I’m not perfect, I make huge mistakes. The reason why is I want to defend my team and my club.”
Flare-ups involved players too, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Newcastle midfielder Joelinton, while Guardiola also spoke with Magpies captain Bruno Guimaraes. “Our paths always cross, and I always have a good relationship with him. I love it. I’m an emotional guy,” Guardiola added.
Champions League Remains a Key Focus
City now turn their attention to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, aiming to maintain an unbeaten start and secure a top-eight finish. Tuesday’s match will mark Guardiola’s 100th in the competition with City, where he led them to glory in 2023 by beating Inter Milan in Istanbul.
“It’s special for the players, managers, and everyone. To challenge yourself with the best teams in Europe is incredible, a huge experience,” he said. “There are more disappointments than good moments, but bad moments define a team, a club.”
Defender Josko Gvardiol also reflected on last season’s struggles: “It was the worst season I ever had in my career. I couldn’t sleep, trying to find solutions and help the team and everyone at the club. Sometimes things don’t go the way we want, but I’m glad it is behind us and we recover well.
