In a recent press conference, Manchester City's esteemed manager, Pep Guardiola, extended a public apology to Kalvin Phillips for remarks made in December 2022, where he referred to Phillips as 'overweight.' The apology came during a media briefing held on Monday afternoon, in anticipation of City's Premier League encounter against Brentford on Tuesday evening.
A journalist raised a question concerning Phillips' challenging loan period at West Ham, noting the player's high-profile errors and a recent red card. The reporter referenced an interview where Phillips expressed that Guardiola's comments on his weight post-World Cup significantly impacted his confidence, marking it as a low point in his tenure with the team. The reporter inquired if Guardiola had any regrets about making those remarks public.
Guardiola responded with contrition, stating, "I'm sorry. Yeah. I'm sorry. Once in eight years, is not bad. But I'm so sorry. I apologise to him, I do apologise, I'm so sorry."
When the reporter further questioned if Guardiola had discussed the issue directly with Phillips, given Phillips mentioned the lack of a conversation between them, Guardiola clarified, "I spoke about that. Before I said I spoke to him. Never, never before I said something here I didn't speak with the teams, with the players in that case.”