Santiago Canizares, speaking in comments carried by Marca, has responded to recent claims made by Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola said that a WhatsApp group exists compiled of members of the Spain team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but that he wasn’t included.
The Catalan said that he thinks the reason for his exclusion could be because of the different political views he holds from Canizares and several others from the squad.
“The first thing is that the WhatsApp group has nothing to do with any political issue,” Canizares said. “It just struck me that he wasn’t there, and I apologised because he isn’t there by guessing it’s because he’s Manchester City coach.
“I can’t invite him to the group because I’m not the administrator, I don’t have his mobile number and, as he himself said, he doesn’t have WhatsApp.”
Canizares said that back in 1992, Spanish flags were proudly flown in Barcelona and it was possible to debate different views, such as those held by Canizares, a proud Spaniard, and Guardiola, a proud Catalan. But now, for Canizares, politicians’ machinations has created a radicalised society where such debate is no longer possible.
Canizares said that he thinks if he and Guardiola got together again they’d chat and debate like they did back in 1992, and that quite a few other players have left the group, so not everyone is in it. “Let no one interpret that the WhatsApp group is a type of friction of political connotation,” he said.
