Patrick Vieira Fired by Relegation-threatened Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace's head coach Patrick Vieira applauds during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP)
Crystal Palace's head coach Patrick Vieira applauds during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP)
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Patrick Vieira Fired by Relegation-threatened Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace's head coach Patrick Vieira applauds during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP)
Crystal Palace's head coach Patrick Vieira applauds during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP)

Patrick Vieira was fired by Crystal Palace on Friday with the team having been dragged into the Premier League’s relegation fight.

Palace is in 12th place in the 20-team league but is only five points ahead of last-place Southampton.

The team has lost three straight league games and has no wins in any competition in 2023.

“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made,” Palace chairman Steve Parish said. “Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.”

Palace said the process to find Vieira’s successor has already started.

Vieira, a former Arsenal midfielder, was in the role for 20 months after being appointed in 2021. Three members of his coaching staff, Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson and Saïd Aïgoun, have also left the club.

Vieira’s departure comes quickly after Palace’s 1-0 loss to Brighton on Wednesday, a result which heightened concerns about the team’s chances of survival this season.

A dire run of form had left Palace without a win in any competition since beating Bournemouth in the league on Dec. 31. Since then, there have been seven losses and five draws in 12 games, 11 of them coming in the league.

Because the league's bottom places are so congested, 12th-place Palace is only three points above the relegation zone.

Vieira led Palace to a 12th-place finish last season and also to the FA Cup semifinals.

“Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues,” Parish said. “Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.”



War in Gaza ‘Hurts My Whole Body’, Says Man City Boss Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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War in Gaza ‘Hurts My Whole Body’, Says Man City Boss Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an exclusive interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona, June 4, 2025. (Reuters)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said the war in Gaza "hurts my whole body" as he delivered an emotional speech while being honored by the University of Manchester.

Guardiola, 54, was speaking as he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester on Monday.

"It's so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts my whole body," Guardiola said in excerpts of his speech shared on social media.

"Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbor."

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza after the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable.

"Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore, it's not our business," Guardiola.

"Yes, fine, we can think about that, it's not our business. But be careful. The next one will be ours. The next four or five-year-old kids will be ours.

"Sorry, but I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina when I see every morning, since the nightmare started, the infants in Gaza, and I'm so scared."

Guardiola has not shied away from voicing political views in the past, throwing his weight behind the campaign for Catalan independence.

He was awarded the honorary degree by the University of Manchester for his unprecedented success at City, where he has won six Premier League titles, as well as his work through his family foundation, the Guardiola Sala Foundation.

The organization takes part in "established projects which strive to support the most disadvantaged".

Others within football have spoken out on Gaza.

In October 2023, Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah called on "world leaders to come together to "prevent further slaughter of innocent souls".

The following month Bundesliga club Mainz sacked Dutch winger Anwar El Ghazi, now at Cardiff, over social media posts related to the conflict.